Star Wars: The Rise of Darth Venison
by VenisonStories
Summary: I once created a Star Wars original character, a Sith Lord. I decided to tell his story, what he did, who he was, who he met, what choices he made, and how his actions have affected everyone he knew. Will his choices be for good or for evil?
1. Chapter 1

(Before we begin, I have a few announcements. I want to make it perfectly clear that the name "Darth Venison" is indeed a joke. But later in the story and even in the sequel is it going to be revealed why that name was chosen for him. And this story is constantly updated; I will always be updating with new chapters in the sequel story, and I come back to fix one to fix any mistakes or errors in spelling, capitalization, etc. That's about all I have to say now, I hope you enjoy the story, feel free to favorite or follow if you so desire, leave a comment or review too. I always look forward to anything ya'll want to say. That being said, I hope you like the story, follow, favorite, review, all that stuff, and I'll talk to you guys later.)

* * *

My name was Eyt Pezymn. I was a Zan-Deer Warrior back on my home planet, Zant. I lived a good life back home. I was intimidating, I was respected, I had friends, until I lost it all. Everyone lost all respect for me, especially my fellow warrior partner Rooda. I hope she'll forgive me for what I've done. It started out as a normal week. Then, a sudden change in our daily routine.

* * *

It was a calm morning in the desert of Zant. My home village was quiet, peaceful. It was if I had nothing to do that day. But that wasn't true. We have a very specific series of tasks to carry out throughout the day. Then my warrior partner, Rooda came to me, with her blue double-edged light spear in her left hand.

"Good morning, Eyt." She said to me in her calm and monotonous voice as she tightened her warrior's suit.

Our warrior's suits cover the smallest amount of our bodies as possible, to allow for free movement in battle. The males traditionally wear a simple loincloth over the front of our bodies. But for Rooda, it's a different fashion. On her chest she wore two cloth straps over her shoulders and down her back, to cover her breasts and she wears a tightened loincloth covering her at the waistline and around her legs. We can only wear nothing in our beds, and that is just to relax our tightened bodies from the grip of the loincloth. Other than that, nudity is a sign of dishonor on Zant.

"It's quiet here." I looked in the direction of the warm desert wind, blowing through my Zan-Deer antlers. "Too quiet."

"The village is safely asleep today," Rooda nodded. She beckoned me to follow her to the outskirts of Randin, our village. She pointed to the butte just on the outskirts. "The ticking desert spiders live up on these buttes and monuments ever since we took control of the flat sandy desert. We can hunt for a breakfast feast."

And of course we can. The ticking desert spiders spiders are a meal enjoyed on Zant, awfully big spiders. One spider can feed three Zan-Deer fawn children. We may be deer, but we are hunters, and the spiders are our natural prey. But they're dangerous.

"All right." I walked into the Warrior's Hut and grabbed my weapon, a sword with a black blade made of light, from the side of my bed. I built it from debris from a crashed starship near the desert gorge, same as Rooda's light spear, the traditional hunting weapon. We are primitive, any technology we find, we take advantage of.

"Let's go." We walked to the butte closest to Randin in search of the ticking desert spiders.

"Eyt, Rooda, wait." We stopped and turned around to see the village chief, Tzano, hovering in his chair, also built from the starship ruins.

"You two wish to go hunt for food to feed the village?" Tzano scratched the stumps at the ends of his knees.

"Yes, Chief." Rooda stood straight. "We were going to find ticking desert spiders. For the village."

The old chief nodded, "I see. You two be careful. The bites from those spiders are very poisonous. One bite can swell and paralyze your limbs." He looked down to the stumps at his knees. "Too many bites will kill you, much like it did your father just days ago, Eyt."

"Yes Chief." I nodded slowly, knowing what those monsters have done to him. My father was the Head Warrior of this village, training both me and Rooda before he was killed by those spiders.

"We understand. We'll be careful," Rooda nodded.

"Good." Tzano glanced at us with a weak smile. "Best of luck to you both." He waved a hoofed hand in the air as we moved on to the butte, to find the ticking spiders.

"Rooda, do you remember how the ticking desert spiders got their name?" I looked to her as we trudged the desert.

"To easily find them, in the light and dark, they make little ticking noises." Rooda said. "And they're only native to the desert on this planet."

"That's right." I chuckled.

The butte wasn't far. And the rays of the two suns don't stop us from our hunting trip. Zan-Deer can withstand the cold snow in the mountainous tundra to the humid canopy of the western jungle. Even this region, the desert doesn't easily stop us from our quests.

Rooda raises an ear and stops me, holding her arm in front of me. She stands still, listening to something.

"Ticking. Let's move." She runs ahead and sneaks through the rocks with ease. She climbs up a small rocky wall closer to the clicking sound, and with one thrust of her light spear, she has caught a ticking desert spider through its thorax.

She chuckles.

"That was too easy."

"Good," I smirk. "Now try catching more. For the whole village."

Rooda nods and accepts the challenge. She proceeds to venture the dark caves of the butte and constantly follows the sounds of the quiet ticking from the spiders. I try to follow the small bar of blue light as she quickly walks further. The ticking sounds grow louder the further she goes. Suddenly the bar stops moving then starts swinging and Rooda grunts in the darkness. Then the bar floats still again, all the ticking stops, and she walks back towards me.

"To the cave exit." I hear her voice and I go back and let her pass. She's carrying at least five spiders on her back, with the spear in one hand and the other holding all the spiders. She chuckles as she walks by,

"Let's get a move on." She drops the spiders in a big pile and drags the first in the pile. "Just a few more should feed the village."

"Rooda-" I look at her in surprise, "how do you do the things that you do?"

"I'm a woman. Remember? We women have to work and fight harder than men. Remember? Being a warrior is a man's job." She folds her arms. "I have to be at my best to remain a warrior. So I am more lethal and vicious than average male warriors."

I nod, because I know what she means. Does mostly do stay to care for children and perform daily laborious tasks in the village while the stags typically go hunt and fight to defend the village. Not like ours though. Rooda and I are the only warriors left in Randin. Most of the Zan-Deer in this village do not reach following requirements to be a warrior. I was the only stag to qualify, and Rooda has proven her worth time and time again as the only doe on Zant to be a warrior.

"I suppose we should gather more spiders for the village," Rooda picked up her light spear and left me with the spider corpses. I start picking them all up in my arms as she comes back with more in her arms as she sticks her light spear under her left strap, to hold her haul of spiders.

"That ought to do it," she grins and walks ahead of me, then looking back. "Hurry Eyt."

I follow closely behind as we make our way back to the village, watching both suns float overhead and feel the warm wind brush against my face and my long, spider-like antlers. I sniff the air and look closely to the village.

"It looks like they've started a bonfire, to start cooking these spiders to feed the village."

"Chief Tzano must have gathered everybody and told us of our morning mission." Rooda looks back at me.

"Most likely." We walk back into the village and all the Zan-Deer make way for our arrival as we walk to the bonfire in the midst of the village. Chief Tzano grins as we set the spiders in the fire so as to cook the hard shells and warm their insides.

"Now this village has enough food to eat for the whole day." The chief clapped his hands and the Zan-Deer all started applauding at us.

"It was no trouble at all, Chief." Rooda smiles and held her light spear in her hands. "We can do it again if you want us to."

"You are a wonderful pair of warriors. But for now, we don't need more food. We will enjoy what we have now." The chief stuck a spider with a metal beam and pulled it out of the fire, and with a powerful sniff from his weak nose, he smelled the spider's aroma.

"Cooked to perfection." He bit into one of the spider's legs, pulled it from the body of the spider, and took a bite out from it. He started chewing the chunk of leg and when he swallowed the food, he grinned.

"It's perfect." He began taking more spiders out of the bonfire and passed them around to the Zan-Deer.

"Enjoy this feast, fellow Zan-Deer. Today we eat in Eyt and Rooda's honor. For if they haven't gathered this feast of spiders, we would go hungry another day."

The Zan-Deer happily began eating away at the spiders and Rooda began taking an abdomen shell off a spider and filled the shells with water from the oasis just outside the village. She passed the bowl-shaped shells to the Zan-Deer to drink the water with their feast. After giving the abdomen shells to the Zan-Deer, she walked back into the Warrior's Hut and set her light spear against a leathery wall and watched me enter after her.

"They are happy. This feast will last some time." She looked at me with her blank face. "What is it, Eyt? You seem troubled."

I sat down on her leather bed and thought for a moment.

"Rooda, don't you think of getting tired of the same routine?" I looked up at her then back down to the sandy floor. "We go hunt, we rest in the late morning, we train with our weapons, we eat, we rest again, we train more, we hunt, we clean ourselves from the sweat and exhaustion, then we sleep, waiting to do the same thing tomorrow."

"Well," Rooda sat beside me, "I see what you mean, but the repeating cycle, I don't think there is anything we can do about it. We have to follow the same thing each week to keep this village alive. Without it, we might all be dead."

"I know." I sigh. "It's just kind of getting a little too repetitive. It's almost boring me." I get up and move to the opposite end of the hut, to set my weapon down and lay down in my own leather bed to stare at the bony structures that make up the frame of the hut.

"Just you wait, Eyt." She sat in her own bed across from me. "Maybe some day, something will happen. Something to change our lives."

She got under her blanket and pulled her straps over her shoulders and off her back, removing their tight grip from her upper body. She reached down to the loincloth around her waist, pulled the strings on the side of her loincloth, loosening it, then took her clothing and rest it on her blanket, and watched me as I'm laying on the bed, as I look from the bony frame, to the leathery walls of the hut.

"You shouldn't just expect change so quickly, Eyt. If you get too caught up thinking about how repetitive our daily cycle is, you'll start messing with your own head. Change is good, but waiting for sudden change is- it's like an act of desperation. And we Warriors are not desperate. Remember that Eyt." She lays down and looks at the wall above her, with a sigh, then turns to a wall and closes her eyes.

"I know," I whisper.

I look back at my bed and pulled my blanket over my body. I untied the knot which holds my tight loincloth to my waist. I sighed in relief when the tension on my waist was released, and I set the loincloth on the blanket of my bed. I rolled into my side and closed my eyes, thinking of Rooda's advice.

"Don't expect change." I decided to try and rest my mind and close my eyes, trying to catch at least an hour or two of sleep.

The feasting continues outside and the day continues to roll over Rooda and I, as we rest in the late morning. Just another step in our daily cycle. Until I heard something break the atmosphere. Something large.


	2. Chapter 2

I immediately rose from the bed, standing up. Rooda opened her eyes and sat up as I reached for my loincloth, to start wrapping it tightly around my waist. Rooda did the same with her loin straps and cloth. We both looked at each other in confusion, picked up our weapons and darted outside.

We saw the entire herd of Zan-Deer in the village gather as we all saw a large metallic craft landing near the outskirts of Randin. Rooda and I walked through the crowd to the front, to see what was happening.

"Eyt, what is it?" Rooda looked to me.

"It's one of those large starships, from space." Tzano came up from the crowd on his hovering chair. "We may have a visitor."

Something big was happening. A change in our routine. But how? I couldn't have brought this- or could I? I never thought I was going to get a sudden change.

"Rooda, do you think this is the change?" I turn to her.

"Maybe?" She held her light spear in her hand as the door began to open.

A figure began walking out of the ship. He wasn't a Zan-Deer. He was human. He had a green jacket over a white holy v-neck shirt, with big black boots over gray pants. From his shirt, his strings of black hair over the front of his head, the noticeable lightsword hanging from his belt, and the massive scar from his right eyebrow down to his collarbone, he was a fighter of some sort. But why has he come here?

"Who are you, strange visitor?" Chief Tzano asked the traveller.

The stranger coughed, then spoke.

"My name is Rakine," he looked at his weapon. "Rakine Cerivian. I am a rebel fighter from the Yavin system."

"Yavin?" Rooda looked at him in confusion. "Is that your home planet?"

"It is," He nodded. "I have come here to seek your council." He looked around. "Is their a leader or chief?"

"That would be me," Tzano strolled closer with his chair, lifting a hand in the air. "What is it you need, Sir Rakine?"

"Please," he chuckled, "just Rakine will do." He turned to look at all the huts and homes of the village.

"If you seek council, then follow me to the village Chief Hall." Chief Tzano started his chair and moved into the Chief Hall, a small building, built from hardened mud and sand. He motioned Rakine to follow, then he motioned me and Rooda to enter. The chief stopped in one spot at a table and Rakine pulled out a bone chair, upholstered in desert spider leather, to sit down. Tzano beckons us to sit as well.

"Now," the chief looked at Rakine, "What brings you here?"

"The Galactic Republic has fallen seven years ago," he said with a sigh. "The shroud of the Empire still grows throughout this galaxy. I'm worried that the Empire will find this system and either assimilate you into joining them, or kill everyone and take this planet for themselves."

The chief stared in disbelief and started letting out a hearty chuckle, shaking his head.

"The Republic didn't exist way out here. I don't think an "Empire" is going to find out about the Zant system." He looked at me and asked. "What say you, Eyt?"

I don't even know what to say.

"If there is an Empire, we should prepare for their arrival. If their as hostile as he says, we defend this land. And if not-"

"You primitives won't stand a chance against the Empire." Rakine started laughing. "Your weapons can't stop against, say, blasters and lasers and even a lightsaber." He pulled out his weapon and pressed a small button. A large, red blade struck out of its base.

"Eyt has one like that." She turned to me, "Show him."

I held my weapon in my hand and ignited its blackened blade.

"A darksaber." Rakine looked in disbelief. "How did you get your hands on one of those?"

"I have something too." Rooda lit both ends of her light spear.

"So you do have technology down here. That darksaber, the lightspear, that chair-" he looked at Tzano's hovering chair, "how did you get all of this technology?"

I pointed out a hole in the wall in the direction of the starship ruins and debris, where we built our chair and our lightsaber technology.

"There is a ship." I looked to Rakine.

"Interesting. You built these yourself?" He pointed at the chief's chair and our light weapons.

"We did," Rooda nodded.

"And the crystals to power the blades?"

"We found them in a bag of smuggled crystals," Rooda told him. "Near the dead pilot."

"You're not as bad as I thought," Rakine brushed his hand over his sweaty forehead, brushing his bangs of black hair as his hand moved along. "But you still won't withstand an attack from the Empire."

Tzano began to rub the top of his head with his hand.

"But what can we do to survive if the Empire does invade our peaceful world?"

"Well we can't do anything now. And the Empire is most likely hunting for me at this moment."

"Why?" Rooda asks concerned.

"Because there are some people who oppose the oppression of the Empire. Rebels." Rakine sighed.

"You said you were a rebel?" I asked him.

"I am." He turned off his lightsaber and put in back on his belt. "I must hurry off. I came here to warn you of the Empire's intentions." He walked out and readied his ship.

"Wait." I couldn't help but get up and follow him. "Can you help us with the Empire? Can you- teach us your ways of combat?"

"Eyt." Rooda and Chief Tzano both blurted simultaneously.

"What?" I looked back at them. "He's a rebel. He can help us."

"Oh, Eyt." Tzano shook his head. "Always so protective of this village. Much like your father."

"I have to protect the village. I am a warrior." I folded my arms. "It's part of the Zan-Deer Warrior Code."

"And another part of the Code is that warriors know when is the right time to talk. Learn to control when to speak." Tzano rubbed his right eye, groaning, then turns his attention to Rakine. "But, Rakine, will you help us?"

"I guess I can. But not here. We may have to move to the outskirts of this village. We don't want to cause any damage here, do we?"

Rooda and I both just shook our heads.

"Now, you two." He turns to me and Rooda. "Come with me to the outskirts. I will teach you how to fight."

"We can fight. We hunt too." I glared slightly.

"But can you fight the Empire?" He looks back at me.

I sigh and mutter. "No."

"Then training begins. Come." He walked out of the village toward the cliff

"Now, Eyt. If you want me to teach you to fight, there is one thing that you must know." He kept walking toward the cliff, just beyond the outskirts. This cliff leads down to our neighboring village, Kakariko.

"What is it you must tell me?" I looked at him in confusion when we stopped walking, reaching the cliff.

"This is going to sound strange but-" he stopped, hesitating to continue.

Rooda and I looked at each other, then back to Rakine.

"But what?" I asked.

"You are Force-sensitive." He glanced at me. "I can feel it."

"What? What Force?" Rooda took a step forward, to Rakine.

"You really have no idea what the Force is?" He asked.

I shook my head.

Rakine sighed.

"Oh, we have so much work to do," he sighed. "Well, if you must know. The Force is what keeps the universe in balance. The Force is what creates life and everything that sustains life. The Force is inside you, Eyt."

"In me?" I put my hand on my chest, to feel this Force.

"Tiny living organisms called midi-chlorians live inside everyone. They form a mutual symbiotic relationship with us and they give us the Force. Enough midi-chlorians in one being can make one Force-sensitive. And you are, Eyt. You can use the Force." He sat down, crossing his legs, closing his eyes, silently sitting.

"How do I- use this Force?" I set my darksaber down on the ground and stood at the edge of the cliff.

"Feel the Force around you. It speaks to you. Use it. Harness it. With the Force, you can pick up objects with your mind, move things, and learn to use other powers of the Force."

I just stood there, closing my eyes. Waiting for something to happen. Nothing.

"You must empty your mind of everything, learn to stay calm. Then the Force will be in your control."

I tried. I tried emptying my mind. To see what the Force is and what it can do. I kept my eyes closed but I saw a figure. A long, black, hooded figure. In one hand, it held a lightsaber. It took off its hood with the other hand, and revealed itself. It was a Zan-Deer. I can tell from its large deerlike ears and it's long muzzle. But it didn't have antlers. Instead it had metallic stubs from the base of the head, where our antlers grow. They looked like metal wedges with four emitter ends of a lightsaber. But from these stubs grew long red bars of light. And it looked like it had a lightsaber in its hand too, ignited its red blade. I slowly returned back to consciousness, I opened my eyes in fear. I started gasping at what I saw.

"What did you see, Eyt?" Rakine stood up and stares at me in shock.

I stop gasping and clear my throat, returning to my calm state.

"I saw a figure. It had lightsaber a on its head and one in its hand."

"Was it Zan-Deer?" Rooda asked.

I nodded.

"Interesting." Rakine put a hand over his chin. "The Force is already with you. It's trying to tell you something. An evil Zan-Deer is coming, I think." He thought for a moment, then continued. "I think it was a glimpse of the future."

"The future?" I stayed still. "But how? Is that normal?"

"For those with the Force, maybe." Rakine sighed. "Then we shouldn't worry about it anymore." He stopped, then looked back at me. "Do you wish to continue training?"

I knew whatever the Force was telling me, wahtever the figure was, it was bad. But I couldn't let one vision stop me from training. From learning to use the Force. So I knew what I wanted. I nodded.

"Continue, Rakine." I looked at him.

"Excellent," he stood straight as he set his lightsaber on the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

"Try to focus on this rock." Rakine pointed to a rock. "If you can control and use the Force, then you can pick up this rock."

"That's it? Just pick it up?" Rooda chuckled and shook her head.

"But," Rakine continued, "the rock should be floating in midair."

I looked at the rock and held my left hand out to it. I closed my eyes and tried to feel the Force as it coursed through my left arm. I hear Rooda and Rakine gasping in approval and Rooda's voice.

"It's working."

I opened my eyes and saw the rock then floating three feet off the ground. Suddenly feelings of joy start to swirl as I could actually use the Force to lift the rock. But it suddenly starts to wobble in the air and fall back on the desert floor. I could hear Rakine sigh in slight disappointment.

"Learn to control your feelings. First knowing you can use the Force is thrilling, but don't let feelings of joy in your skill interfere with your connection to the Force." Rakine claps slowly in approval. "But you have done well today, Eyt. You are a fast learner."

"Thank you Rakine. But remember it was you who taught me of the Force." I nod at him.

"I suppose that's true." Rakine taps a finger on his chin. "This is similar to what the Jedi did." He muttered the words, "master" and "apprentice" under his breath.

"The Jedi?" Rooda raises an ear. "Are they Force users too?"

"Oh yes." He nodded. "They were the knights of the Republic. Very wise, very powerful, very skilled in the Force and in lightsaber combat. Until Sidious' Order took them out." Rakine lowered his head and with a sudden burst of energy, threw the rock over the edge of the cliff. Rooda and I walked to the edge as we saw the rock rolling down to Kakariko.

"What order?" Rooda asked him.

"Order 66. It was an order that carried out the mass slaughter of Jedi throughout the galaxy. Hundreds of Masters, Knights, and Padawans were left dead. Only a few have survived. Those that did went into exile, to hide from the Empire."

"Were you a Jedi?" Rooda looked at Rakine worriedly.

"I was trained. But now I'm a rebel. I'm neither a Jedi not Sith. I was trained as one in the past, nut now I walk the Grey Side. It lies in between both. I have knowledge of the Force, both the Light and Dark Side of it."

"The Dark Side?" I was curious. "Was the Dark Side what killed the Jedi?"

"Technically yes and no." He sat down in the sand, "Chancellor Palpatine, the ruler of the Republic, was a Sith Lord named Darth Sidious. A wicked wrinkled man who had control of the Army of the Republic, clone troopers, they were loyal to the Jedi. Until Sidious demanded Order 66 be carried out. The clones were made to obey every order so they turned on the Jedi. Killed almost all of them. They either hid in exile or joined a rebellion to overthrow the Empire. As you know, I joined the rebellion."

"Why are the Jedi and Sith such opposites?" I sat next to Rakine.

"The Jedi and Sith are very similar but also very different." Rakine thought for a moment, "Both are Orders of Force users and lightsaber wielders. They have a vast knowledge of the Force but the similarities end there. The Jedi are very calm, selfless people and they care for other people, whereas the Sith focus on their anger, hate, and pride. They're relentless, they're loyal to the Dark Side of the Force and care for themselves only. It so I have heard at least."

"You say you're in the middle. A Grey Side?" Rooda sat down.

"Yes. Between the Light and Dark Sides." Rakine sighed slightly.

"Should we continue the training, Rakine?" I stood up and picked up my darksaber.

"You don't have to, Eyt." He stayed sitting, starting to relax his mind again. "Just relax for now. Training will continue shortly."

I put my darksaber down and closed my eyes. I slowly lifted my hand and felt the Force around me. Rooda gasps in surprise and I hear Rakine's voice as I focus.

"Not bad."

I open my eyes and look at my darksaber, hovering in the air.

"The Force-" I'm surprised but I control my feelings. "That's me?"

Rakine nods. I opened my hand, exposing my palm, and the darksaber flies into my hand, the darksaber igniting in the air and I catch it in my hand.

"Not bad at all. Eyt, I think you're ready to come with me to Coruscant." Rakine stands up.

"Coruscant?"

"Yes, Coruscant. I lived there before the Empire. I haven't been there since. Now I mostly just travel the galaxy, trying to find other rebels to help our cause. Maybe I can teach you the full Force there."

"Can we come with you?" Rooda stands up and holds her lightspear behind her.

"Wait- "we"? I was going to bring just Eyt so he can continue his training there."

"Then, Rakine," I stood by Rooda, "I can't do it. We're warriors. We stick together. Where one goes, the other comes too. It's part of our Zan-Deer tradition. And the Warrior Code. It's all or nothing."

Rakine rubbed his head.

"Fine." Rakine sighs, "She can come. But don't interfere in anything. Eyt has a connection to the Force. I can't train you the same."

"I know," Rooda said to him in her monotonous voice.

Rakine looked to Randin Village and his ship.

"We should get to it then." He Force pulled his lightsaber to him, tucked it in his jacket pocket, and walked back to the village, motioning us to follow him as he walks to his ship and the door opens. Rooda and I follow him and the Zan-Deer watch us board his ship.

"Eyt. Rooda. Wherever are you going?" Tzano came out of his Chief Hall watching us board.

"We're going to Coruscant to continue the training. To protect Randin from invasion." I answered.

"I understand. Please be careful and return safely. I will inform everyone of your departure. And Eyt, we'll make sure to take care of your family while you're away." Tzano nods and waves a goodbye gesture with his hand. I watch Rooda wave back.

"Will we see them again?" Rooda asks Rakine.

"Of course you will," Rakine enters cockpit of ship. "Now sit down and strap yourselves in. The trip through space may be a little bumpy." Rakine flips a few switches and the engines start humming. The ship slowly lifts off the ground as Rooda and I strap ourselves to chairs. And in seconds, the ship takes off and we start to fly up through the atmosphere.

"What's wrong with your mother Eyt?" Rakine asked.

"She has a fawn to take care of on her own." I muttered quietly and Rakine slowly nodded.

As the ship left Zant, I looked back and for the first time, I caught a glimpse of my home planet. Zant was an unreal, beautiful world. The surface of the planet was divided into two large regions. The main land had composed of a mountainous tundra in the north, the dense jungle in the west, and the dusty desert in the east. A large river grew between the biomes and merged into the vast sea in the south, separating the land from the icy continent at the southern pole. It was a wondrous sight.

"Zant," I sighed, "such a beautiful world."

I turned back around and Rakine flipped a switch and in an instant, the ship went buzzing across the stars so fast, they began to look like long white lines. Rooda and I flew back in our chairs, with tight grips on the handles, just to stay seated. Soon the ship slowed back down and Rooda and I looked ahead. The ship flew to a large, round mass of towers and buildings.

"Is that Coruscant?" Rooda looks at Rakine.

"That's it," he nodded as he pushed the throttle of the ship further and the ship accelerated to Coruscant. Rakine was heading the ship to what looked like a large city.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Rakine slowed his ship, "welcome to Coruscant."

Rakine started for a large floating platform in the air and with a flip of a switch, the landing gear came out of the base of the ship and landed on the platform. Rakine got up from his seat and unstrapped me and Rooda. When the door opened, he inhaled and sighed happily.

"God, it's good to be back. Ever since Order 66, I wasn't welcome here."

Rooda and I stepped out of the ship and pressed our hoofed feet against the metallic floor, we looked at each other and knew we were in another world, and it would take some getting used to.

Rakine started walking and he motioned us to follow him.

"It's easy to get lost here so keep your eyes on me, okay?" He walked on to the floating platform.

"Are you excited Eyt?" Rooda looked my way as I looked anxiously at the city ahead.

"I don't know. What if things here are different than on Zant?"

"This is different. But I think we'll be okay." She smiles weakly and looked back at the city in front of us as we followed Rakine into the city.

Coruscant was unlike anything at home. The entire surface was covered in large buildings and everything was completely different than on Zant. Things towered over us as we walked along the platform, members of unexplained species crowded the platform and as I thought, the city bursted with life. Some creatures even began gathering where we were walking, some whispered and murmured to each other and others just stared as we walked up the large platform.

"Focus only on me, you two." Rakine didn't even have to look behind him, and Rooda and I faced straight ahead of us for what lies next.

"Where will we train?" I asked Rakine, curiously.

"That building over there," he pointed at a large pyramid shaped building, with a flat top and five pillars at the top. "That is the Jedi Temple. Ever since Order 66, it has been long abandoned."

"That's where you will train Eyt?" Rooda looked at the building, unamused by its decrepit state. "That place is a mess."

"Because it was long abandoned," Rakine looked back at Rooda, with an annoyed tone in his voice. "The Place has been deserted for years."

"Halt. You three." A voice called out to us as a bunch of men in white armor walk up to us, equipped with blasters.

"Yes, officers?" Rakine looked at the tall guards.

"You cannot enter the Jedi Temple. It is forbidden-" he stopped and his helmet looked down to the darksaber in my hand, then to Rooda's lightspear. "Blast them."

"Duck," Rakine said to us as he drew his lightsaber. The guards started shooting at us as we hid behind the ship for cover, and Rakine used his red blade to repel the blasts and hit them with it. Guards started falling and others kept shooting. He started cutting through more of the guards with his own blade. When one was left, he quickly jumped over the guard, grabbing it by the helmet, and twisting his helmet all the way around. The guard struggled to fix his helmet, and once it faced the right way, Rakine, now behind the guard, tapped his shoulder. And as he turned around, Rakine's red blade had slashed through the guard's neck and his helmeted head and body both dropped to the ground instantly.

"Whoa," said Rooda, speechless.

Rakine deactivated his lightsaber, tucked it away, and looked at us.

"You okay?"

We nodded, knowing that Rakine would help protect us against these strange white guards.

"Imperial stormtroopers. They look threatening but they make terrible shots." Rakine chuckled and motioned us to get back to his side. "Come on." He started walking to the Jedi Temple.


	4. Chapter 4

The Jedi Temple, or what was left of it, was an enormous building towering over the three of us.

"Here we are, Zan-Deer." Rakine Force pushed the grand doors open. "The Jedi Temple." He begins walking into the abandoned temple as we follow.

"I can't believe that the Jedi were just killed and now this building is all that's left of their legacy and order." Sad emotions began filling up her mind. Rooda stared at the ceiling, all its new cracks and holes, some light shining through to the floor. All the windows had large shades over them, blocking out all the light and preserving the darkness inside.

"This is only the entrance and main hall," Rakine kept walking deeper into the Jedi Temple. "What we need is right here." He stopped at a large metal door in the wall at the end of the main hall. When he pushed a small button the door opened into a small chamber.

"Get in," he looked at us, motioning us to enter. When we stepped in, the door closed behind us, Rakine pressed a button and suddenly we felt the world pull away from our feet.

"What is this?" Rooda asked Rakine.

"It's just an elevator," he smirked. "It's not going to hurt us. Now this machine travels up and down, through many vertical tunnels in the Jedi Temple. You just push the button of the floor you want to reach, and whoosh, you're off." He chuckles and the elevator continues to ascend up through the Jedi Temple. Suddenly the elevator stopped and we all felt a slight jerk.

"Now what?" Rooda looked at the ceiling.

"This isn't the training floor." Rakine looked at a small diagram of the Jedi Temple and groans. "It's malfunctioned." He pulled out his lightsaber and started slicing through the door. The metal door breaks open and Rakine forces himself out of the elevator and he catches himself on his two hands before landing on the ground.

Rooda stepped out of the elevator next, and with the raise of an ear, she looks up and sees a cable holding the elevator snap.

"Eyt! The elevator. Hurry!" She pointed at the top of the elevator and I hear the elevator shaft groan as the elevator jerks down.

I jumped out of the elevator, landing on the floor, and when I look behind me, the last cable snaps and the elevator drops down to the first floor with a loud thud. Rooda and I leaned into the shaft and look up at the broken cables. They were chewed by some larger form of ratlike creatures. The rat creatures scurry up the cables when Rakine came to investigate the cables.

"Rats." Rakine shook his head. "Of all disgusting little creatures, it had to be rats." He walked down the dark hall and found a small switch on the wall. With a simple push on the switch, all the lights in the area flickered on.

"Good thing this place still has some power." I walked down the hall to Rakine, Rooda following behind me.

"Now how do we get to the top?" Rooda opened a door and found a stairway, I came over and looked up and it seemed to go on forever. Maybe it reaches the top.

"Hey, I think we found the way up." I looked at Rakine, who only shook his head.

"That'll take too long. I'll figure something out." He started scratching his head and looked back at the cable. He walked to the shaft and closed his eyes, to start focusing on the Force. Rooda and I felt the floor start shaking and, when I look back at Rakine, he seems to be pulling the elevator back up the shaft with the Force. I watch in amazement as the cable starts to fix itself to the elevator. With one finger, he beckons us to the shaft.

"How strong are you, exactly?" Rooda looked at the elevator.

"Just grab the cable when I let go of the Force." He points at the cable. I know we have to act quick now, and what Rakine is up to. When he lets go of the Force, the elevator will drop down, but the cable will swing us up to the top.

"Eyt, hurry." Rooda motions me to hurry to the shaft.

"Grab the cable, now." Rakine let go of the Force, thus letting go of the elevator. We all quickly grab the cable and are all flung straight up the elevator shaft as the weight of the elevator drops back down to the first floor. I feel the force of the air around me, pushing me down, but when we reach the top of the shaft and the cable stops, Rakine immediately pulls out his lightsaber to cut through a barred door, blocking the elevator shaft. When he got up on the top floor, he helped pull me and Rooda up.

"This is the training floor?"

"No. We need to walk over there. It's just down this hall, down the large stairway and at the end of the hall at the bottom. I know this building inside and out." He walks down the steps and we follow him down. When we reached the bottom of the stairway he pointed down a hall and started walking. Rooda and I looked around in awe.

"How come up here is still intact?" Rooda asked Rakine.

"Most of the Jedi weren't up here during Order 66. The fighting mostly happened at the bottom. Where everything was all broken and dark."

"How did you survive Order 66?" I asked Rakine.

"I was only a young Padawan at the time. When I figured out about Order 66, me and my friend quickly escaped and took a ship. We got out of here as quickly as possible. Escaped to a moon in the Yavin system."

When we reached the training area at the end of the hall, it was much brighter than the last rooms. The shades were all up, allowing the sunlight to peek in through all the windows. It looked like everything was almost intact. In only one room, there was a large shattered window, leaving great fields of broken glass across the floor. The massive training area was just empty.

"There are many training rooms up here. Some for Force users, some for lightsaber combat, but all are necessary to becoming a Jedi. I suggest we start your training." Rakine opened a door to a room and walked to a little metal ball. He activated it and it began floating in the air.

"What is that?" Rooda looked carefully at the ball.

"This little droid will float around and shoot occasional little lasers. The goal of this is to teach how to either deflect blaster lasers, to feel the Force as you're blindfolded. The Force will help you to sense your enemies when your sight gives out. Want to give it a try, Eyt?" Rakine handed me a blindfold. "Put that around your eyes until you can't see. Then you will be put to the test."

I took the blindfold in my hands and watched as Rakine backed away and the droid focused on me. I blinded myself with the blindfold and tried to use Rakine's advice to use the Force to show me where the droid was floating. Suddenly a warning came to me. I drew my darksaber and readied it as the droid shot a beam. Even with the blindfold on, the Force lets me see. I blocked the beam and hear the droid start floating somewhere else. It tries to turn around me, hoping I won't find it. But I counter and block its next beams with the blade of my darksaber. I hear applauding and I reach for the blindfold.

"Well done," Rakine stopped clapping and I looked carefully at him, his eyes turning a yellow and red color. "But are you ready for-" he lifts up a hand, facing toward me, his eyes changing to a yellow and red color, "-this?" Suddenly bolts of lightning shoot out at me and throw me into the wall behind me.

I am seized by tremendous pain as the lightning's electrical surges consume me. I open my eyes and see Rooda step in between me and the lightning, with her lightspear's blade, she interferes with Rakine's attack.

"Stop!" I hear her yell as the lightning now absorbs into her blade, saving me from Rakine's lightning power. Rakine immediately stops and sinks to his knees, panting, as if trying to catch his breath.

"I- I- I'm sorry, I didn't know what- what happened." He looked up at Rooda as he stood back up.

"You were hurting him, Rakine." She walked towards me, trying to help get me back on my hoofed feet. I only slightly groan and feel the singe marks on my back.

My body would have had new burnt black marks if it weren't for my traditional warrior dye, only covering my back, forearms, lower legs, and my hips. The black ink is made from the venom of a ticking desert spider back on Zant. It was an old part of Zant's Warrior tradition. Rooda has the same black dye on her forearms, lower legs, and top of tail. The rest of our bodies left not dyed, with our naturally brown, tan fur.

"That wasn't-" he sighs. "I'm sorry. This is going to make no sense." He tries calming down, breathing slowly, and talking gently so we could hear him. "Remember I'm on the Grey Side, with knowledge of both Jedi and Sith Force abilities. I was only doing what I was taught. When I was trained in the Sith arts, my master was a cruel and evil man. He taught me by using that Force lightning against me, making me figure it out myself how to learn the Force. I was only taught through hate and aggression. I am not a Sith, but my knowledge of the Dark Side is strong itself. If ever you see my eyes change to a yellow and red color, be careful, because my Dark Side is mentally unstable." He chuckles weakly. "Too many shocks to the head I guess. I'm sorry I brought this upon you two."

"It's nothing, really." I try standing up and looking at Rakine. "If you want to train me, then do so and train me however you want." I kneeled down on my knees to give respect to him, for his skill in the Force is more superior. "I pledge myself to your teachings, Rakine."

"Your dedication to learning the Force is incredible. You really wish to save your home village, don't you?" Rakine looked down at me respectfully.

"Yes. It is my goal to serve them. And I may learn any new ways of combat or Force to protect them."

"Then I will teach you how to be knowledgeable of the Force." He smirked slightly, looking away, "But there is one condition. It is both Jedi and Sith tradition for you, the student, to address me as," He looked back down at me, "your master."

"Wait, master?" Rooda asked him.

"Yes. It is just a way of tradition in the Jedi and Sith arts." Rakine shrugs. "It's just how it is. These things are just to be followed. Of all creatures I'd expect you to understand how traditions work."

I nodded, "It's alright if you wish to teach me, master Rakine. "Any tradition should be respected and followed, from what I learned back on Zant." I looked at Rooda, then to Rakine, "Anything that we learn becomes a part of us."

"Eyt," Rooda looked at me, with a slight worry, "Be careful. Try not to get electrocuted." She looked at Rakine, "Maybe you should give him a small shock if ever a mistake is made?" She looks back at me and I nod.

"Good idea." I looked at Rakine, "What do you think master? You think it will help?"

Rakine, giving us both confused and worried expressions, only shrugged.

"Alright, if you wish. If you're really willing to take the pain. A small mistake, a small shock. But be careful, since I have the knowledge of the Dark Side, like the Sith. My eyes will change occasionally, and I turn out to be more aggressive."

"I understand, master." I stood up in front of him and Rooda. "So the training, when do we start?"

"Whenever you're ready, my apprentice." Rakine stood before me and when I turn to Rooda, she backs up to the wall as I stand in the center of the training room.


	5. Chapter 5

Now I owe everything that I learned to Rakine, my new master of the Force, both Light and Dark sides are under his control. If I wish to learn how to use the Force, then no doubt he will help teach me. I shouldn't be afraid of him. Powerful yes, but he's a rebel. He's against the Empire, who I'm told is the true evil in the galaxy. I hope I picked the right side.

"Master, I can't help but wonder, if your a rebel against an Empire, which is said to be evil, would that make us rebels too?" I looked to Rooda.

"You become a rebel if you do things against the Empire's rule. If you fight back and join the Alliance, you're officially a rebel." Rakine started rubbing his head.

"If both the Empire and the Sith are evil," Rooda leaned against the wall with one leg up on the wall, "would that mean the Empire-"

"Is ruled by the Sith." Rakine nodded. "It was former Chancellor, now Emperor Palpatine, now Darth Sidious, that united the First Galactic Empire." His eyes turn yellow and I can feel internal anger rising within him. "If it weren't for that blubbering Gungan idiot, none of this would have happened! Immediate emergency powers." He scoffed and Force threw the training droid into the wall, it's impact so hard, the droid smashed into small metallic pieces. I backed away in fear. His eyes return to normal and he sighs.

"Sorry about that," he chuckles.

"It's nothing, master," I nodded to him. "You said you had gotten shocked so much as an apprentice, that your Dark Side is mentally unstable?"

"A bit. I can control my anger, hate, and fear just fine. Sometimes the Dark Side just likes to pop out at random. Suddenly I'm shooting lightning out of my hand." He scratched his forehead, looking at me. "That's what happened earlier, with you, Eyt. If Rooda didn't step in, it would've gotten a lot worse."

I looked back to Rooda.

"Thank you Rooda."

She nodded her head, with her lightspear still in both hands.

"Now," Rakine began to walk out of the room, "I think we've trained enough for today. Allow me to lead you both to the living quarters." He walked out and I got up to follow them out. Rakine started walking down the hall back to the large stairway, this time going up, walking down the hall at the top, and past the broken elevator shaft.

"This temple is huge," Rakine looked back at me and Rooda. "I'm showing you the areas that are important to your training. I promise you don't need a tour of this whole thing. You'd get lost easily." He chuckled shaking his head.

Rakine kept walking down the hall and the hall itself split into two as the reached this strange wall. There's something about this giant boulder-like wall. Something inside me is tingling. I don't know if it's midi-chlorians or if this rock is unexplainable. I just feel this rock has a strong impact on the Force.

"A giant rock?" Rooda asked. "But why is this here?"

"This is the Natural Spire," Rakine walks through the left hall which goes around the large structure. "This spire is part of Coruscant's actual surface. We keep it here because, well, Eyt how do you feel with the Force now?"

"Once we came here, it feels all tingly, like the Force is growing stronger around us. I can feel something very strange with this rock." I held my left hand out to it and the Force began surging through my entire arm. I pull back, worried if this will have a bad impact on me. "My arm suddenly feels much stronger, as if this spire is like some sort of Force generator?" I looked at Rakine, who only nodded as we kept walking down this long hall, going completely around the rock spire.

"That's because this giant spire is naturally like Eyt said, a Force generator. This spire itself is immensely strong in the Force, it is why the Jedi Temple was just built over it. Reasons for this rock having such strange amount of Force in it is still unexplained. But some Jedi once said that the Natural Spire is the very birthplace of the Force." He tapped the spire with his hand as we kept walking, "This is the most powerful Force user in the galaxy. While it is a rock, its midi-chlorian count goes up to at least trillions. The only thing this rock does now is just give off bits of the Force. It's unexplained like I said, but without this, we might not even know about the Force." He kept walking down the hall, "It's still such a very interesting thing."

We had at least gone around the whole spire and Rakine turned down to a small staircase descending down and when we looked to our left, a giant glass wall showed a colossal room with many large spacecraft.

"That is the Jedi hangar for many land and space vehicles." Rakine walked down the stairs more and pointed to the door that leads into the hangar. He got off the staircase and opened the door to the hangar.

"This is a shortcut to the living quarters." He entered the hangar and walked straight through, pointing at the door on the other side. "We're going over there."

Rooda and I followed after Rakine but are entranced by all the large vehicles that are just left in this large hangar. I looked up at the inside of the large room and saw that the ceiling had large doors on it, where the ships could fly in and out.

"Why didn't you land your ship in here?" Rooda looked at Rakine.

"Hey. You!" At least seven stormtroopers who were patrolling the hangar have spotted us and cock their weapons. Rakine and I ignite our lightsabers and start repelling the blaster shots back to back. Rooda jumped off the end of a ship and with her lightspear, started impaling and slashing through some stormtroopers, and Rakine and I start finishing the last of the Imperial army. With each of us slashing and deflecting shots, every stormtroopers in the hangar is dead in seconds.

"That's why," Rakine deactivated his lightsaber. "Stormtroopers, do not let them know of our presence here." He thought for a second. "If they're still patrolling the Jedi Temple, it might not be safe to sleep for the night all at once. When we get to the living quarters, you two should get some rest first. I can take first watch." He caught us looking at all the ships. "I don't know if taking a ship is the best idea. But if we are caught, it is our best chance of escaping this place when stormtroopers barge in." He walked toward the other door, to lead to the living quarters. Rooda looked up at the closed hangar door on the ceiling.

"We need that door open if we are to escape quickly." She ran to one end of the hangar and entered the control room. I see her scanning the tables for something, and when she pushes a button, a large door on the ceiling slowly opens and the setting sunlight pours through the hangar to the abandoned ships and the floor.

"Great thinking." Rakine nodded slowly. "But we should still be careful. We don't know if this Jedi Temple is being watched on the outside."

"Let's get back to finding the living quarters," I started walking to the exit door. "We should probably stay hidden in the living quarters until dawn. We need to get out of this hangar if we are to avoid being spotted or captured or killed. That open door might just attract something to enter at night. If we are spotted, we attack all the intruders that are in our way. Rooda and I will take that one ship." I pointed at the nearest ship. "Master Rakine, I'm sure you can easily get back to your ship on the platform with no problem."

He nodded.

"I can. It's not me you need to be worried about. Those are still soldiers of the Empire. You two need to move if they do locate us." He opened the hangar exit door and it opened back into another hallway. He turned a corner and found a door labelled, "Living Quarters".

Rooda chuckled.

"Now we know our escape isn't far." She looked to me.

"Yes, it will be fortunate if we all get out of this temple in one piece. After years of ruin you'd expect this place to be empty." Rakine opened the doors to the living quarters and we saw many hallways with many doors. "These rooms are all meant for the Jedi who live in the Jedi Temple. There are many rooms, but we only need maybe one or two." He opened a door into one room. "Perfect. These rooms have hospitality for anyone who stays. Remember we'll only be here for a night. Then we've got to move." Rooda and I walked in and set our lightsabers on the little tables next to the large bed. "You two make yourselves comfortable. I'll stay out here and keep watch."

"There's only one bed." Rooda looked at the bed then to Rakine.

"Yeah each room is for one Jedi each. It's not a problem, is it?" He looked curiously at the bed.

She shook her head.

"No," she said quietly. "There's no problem." She looked down to the floor nervously.

"Good," Rakine said as he held his deactivated lightsaber in his hand. "You should get some rest. You need anything let me know. I'll just be out here." Rooda sat on the bed and muttered quietly.

"Warriors each get one bed. It's improper to share a bed. It's a way in our tradition."

"Well, Rooda, you're not on Zant anymore. Out here, your traditions don't mean anything. People out here don't focus on any one tradition from an area. Especially one from a planet system beyond the outer rim. It's not easy but you should get used to it while we're here. If your tradition says specific rules, remember, you're not on Zant. Here, it's not hurting anyone if you abandon it just out here. The chief wouldn't know if you two broke a few traditional rules."

"He is right, Rooda." I laid down in the bed, still wearing my loincloth.

"Fine." Rooda shook her head as she laid down beside me. "I'll try to abandon it for now. We'll be fine I guess." She looked at Rakine. "Wake us up if anything happens."

"I will. Also, Eyt, when one is strong with the Force, they can sense danger. Right now, were safe. I'd just rest for now." He closed the door and stayed out of the bedroom.

We laid down in the bed staring at the ceiling. I looked at Rooda for a second, then back to the ceiling.

"I think it would be best if we kept these loincloths on us." I look to her as she pulls a strap from her shoulder.

"Do you remember why we sleep without our outfits?" She almost glared at me, "Because they're tight on our skin. I don't know about you, but my entire body is sore."

I looked away as she proceeded to remove her leather straps from her torso, with a sigh in relief. "Now I can breathe." She reaches for her loincloth and only just loosens the knots at her hips. With all the tight tension on her body now relieved, Rooda slumped back against the bed and covered her body with the blankets.

I laid on my side with my back facing her. I had covered myself with the blanket as I put one hand behind me and slightly loosening the knot keeping my loincloth on my body. I almost sigh when my waist's pressure is released.

"These things are tight, aren't they?" I asked Rooda before she nods and turns to lay on her side, her back facing me as well.

I stay laying on my side and try to at least get some sleep. I closed my eyes and let the Force around me warn us of any dangers outside the Jedi Temple. Nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

I woke up from the Force sensing a sign of danger in one of the towers in the Jedi Temple. I got up and tightened the loincloth to my body. I looked to Rooda, she got up and tucked the straps over her body, and tightening her loincloth to her hips.

"What's wrong, Eyt?" She looked at me, worried.

"I felt something in the Force. Might be trouble. I'm going to take a look." I grabbed my darksaber, Rooda grabbed her lightspear and we both opened the door. Rakine wasn't there.

"Rakine?" I tried to call quietly for him. No response. I closed my eyes and let the Force guide me to him. He is in one of the Jedi Temple's towers. I thought I should go and find the way up. While leaving the living quarters, Rooda and I looked in a window connecting to the hangar.

"Rooda, I'm going to find Rakine. I'm going to that tower." I pointed at a tower at the top of the Jedi Temple, the one I sensed him in. "I want you to go to that ship," I lowered my hand and pointed to the ship nearest to the door. "Take that ship and when I get to him, come and pick us up."

"Yes, Eyt."

She nodded and opened the door to the hangar. "Good luck." The door closed behind her and I watched her run to the ship as its door opened. She stepped in, looked back at me and she held a hoofed hand in the air to me, with the Zant goodbye gesture, holding a hand up with both fingers outstretched, with the thumb pointing downward. The sign made by the hand makes the shape of the English letter "K". I waved back to her as she searched for the way to open the door, before finding a control panel that opens the door. When she hit it, the door opened and she slowly walked in. The door closed behind her and the ship lifted from the floor. I went on to find Rakine.

"How do I get up there?"

I looked back at the tower. The signs of danger grew the closer I got towards the tower. I sniffed the air and picked up the scent of Rakine. Following it with my keen senses, now improved with the Force, I ran past the vast hangar and climbed the staircase to the Natural Spire. When I reached the spire, I dragged my left hand across the smooth rock, the Force strengthening in me as I ran along the hallway. The sign of evil in the Jedi Temple strengthened as well. I could figure out quickly, his Dark Side is now in control, and it's possessed his body into leaving me and Rooda in the bedroom as he walked off.

"Why did his master have to be so shock-happy?"

I ran down the circular hall surrounding the Natural Spire and reached the straightened hall to the broken elevator. Once I poked my head in the shaft and looked up, the sign grew. My senses also tell me he has jumped up a floor in the shaft. I closed my eyes and with the Force tremoring through my body, I felt strength in my hoofed legs. I jumped in the shaft and I felt the Force pick me up and I flew into the doorway on the higher floor. I looked back down in utter amazement. I just Forced jumped.

"Rakine?"

I called his name once more before reaching the base of the tower. I looked up at another elevator shaft, and felt the elevator already at the top. I Force jumped to one of the walls, rebounded off, and jumped from wall to wall, up to the top of the shaft. I grabbed the bottom of the elevator and took my darksaber from between my loincloth and my waist with my free hand, and sliced a hole in the floor of the elevator, watching the circular chunk of elevator floor plummet to the floor of the shaft below. I jumped through the hole in the elevator and exited the shaft safely. Feeling Rakine just above, I climbed the spiral staircase to the room just above.

"Rakine, what are you doing up here-" I suddenly stop at the top of the staircase, watching him stand in the middle of the room. All the chairs in the room are turned to face him in the center. I listen carefully as he quietly murmurs about the Jedi High Council and the rise of the Empire.

"The Empire will rise from the death of the Jedi-" he raises an arm in the air and he suddenly returns to his conscious self, lowering his arm. "No, the rebels will fight and Jedi will return to crush the Empire." He's in an argument with his Dark Side. Fear. Anger. Hate. It's surging throughout his head, the Dark Side has possessed him.

"Rakine, what is wrong with you?"

He turns around to me, his eyes turning yellow and red, the signs of the Dark Side itself.

"Eyt, remember, I am your master. And you will address me so." I hear him as the Dark Side begins to form aggression in his hand as he reaches for his lightsaber.

"You're being corrupted, Master Rakine. You cannot let this Dark Side take you over." I backed away to the staircase.

Rakine walks slowly over to me, his eyes returning to normal and he speaks to me with a warning.

"Eyt, run. I don't think I am allowed in here. It's the Dark Side- my old Sith master- it- he-" His eyes turn back into the Dark Side colors as he chuckles threateningly and raises his red lightsaber.

He immediately swung at me, barely giving me enough time to activate my darksaber and repel the attack. I Force pushed him into a chair and looked out the window to see Rooda in the ship, floating down to a small landing strip at the side of the tower. I run down the staircase to avoid Rakine's reckless swings, and when I push his saber away, he sends me into the elevator with a Force shove. When I look up and see him charging at me, I slip through the hole in the floor of the elevator, and by sticking the blade of my darksaber through the wall of the shaft, the fall begins to slow down. Rakin above, pulls out his blaster and shoots to me. I jumped off the wall with my saber in my hand, and drop to the floor. He shoots a bolt again and I deflect it as I run out of his sight. All I can do to avoid a fight possibly to the death, is to run.

And so I do. I ran to the broken elevator shaft and quickly grab the floor with my left hand, swinging from one floor down to the next. I somersault right when I hit the floor and in front of me, Rakine splits a circular hole in the ceiling and drops before I make it to the training rooms. He shoots again and I swing my blade, deflecting the shot, the bolt flies back into the barrel of the blaster, breaking the gun entirely. I chuckled but when he drew his lightsaber, it was no laughing matter.

The power of the Dark Side must have grown stronger in him when we reached the Jedi Temple, that it took his body over, and now he wants to kill me. I have no choice but to engage him in combat. Our black a d red blades hiss and crack each time we hit each other. I manage to get past him, and to stop any further attacks, I try to Force shove him, but he does the same thing. We both throw each other in opposite directions, Rakine flies toward the broken elevator shaft and I am flung over the stairway and across the floor. My darksaber deactivates as it hits the floor and it rolls away. I get up and Rakine has jumped from the top of the stairway. I quickly run down the hall, grab my darksaber, and run into a training room full of weapons. Of the many weapons laid out in the room, I put my darksaber between my loincloth and my waist, and Force pull an old Jedi arm brace on my right arm, and a slightly larger lightsaber in my left hand. I activate both and a large blue blade grows from the lightsaber in my hand. The blade is three times bigger than a typical blade. The arm brace activates into a light blue shield on my arm, the shield the same material as the blade. I turn around and Rakine enters with a raise of his hand. I block his Force lightning with my shield and swing my greatsaber at him, only for him to counter. I Force jumped over him and slowly backed up as he keeps banging his blade against my shield. He suddenly moves so fast, possibly with the Force, around me and swings his blade at least four times. I feel each swing chop my antlers in half, the back of my head getting lighter. I turn around and see four of my antler spikes on the floor of the training hall.

My long, jagged, spider-like antlers were one of the most important things I ever had to keep. On Zant, the length and size of a Zan-Deer stag's antlers represented their courage, their ferocity, their masculinity. One thing a stag or buck needed to be a warrior was large, threatening antlers. And now without them, I might just lose my place in Randin Village.

I'm suddenly engulfed great anger as I feel the base of my antlers where the fresh slices were made. I began to recklessly swing at Rakine and even scream loudly in my own rage. I'm thrashing the greatsaber at Rakine, he can barely block the attacks and only Force push me away. After I'm pushed away, he jumps over my head and chops off more of my antler spikes. I backed up and watched him jump over my head, I Force push him up into the ceiling with my free hand. He landed back on the floor, and Force jumped back up on his feet. I rushed him with the shield and he swung his red blade as I back away. His blade scrapes across the arm brace and the shield flies off my arm, broken. I jumped back, swung the greatsaber to my side, and then swung it in front of me, while releasing it from my grip. When I threw the entire greatsaber at Rakine, he quickly somersaulted under the big blue, spinning blade as it spun like a bright blue disc. Rakine watched me as I instantly drew my darksaber, and slowly walked toward him.

"So, it's a fight you want."

The possessed Rakine chuckled and walked slowly toward me. He shot his hand out in front of him and shot me right out of the training area and at a window. I rolled across the floor, picked up my darksaber with the Force, and jumped back up. Rakine dashed to me and swung his lightsaber, and quickly ducked back and kicked him in the stomach, knocking him on the ground. I jumped up, about to do a finishing stab, but he rolled out from under and kicked me in the jaw, knocking me away. I quickly spun back and our blades continued to cross. With each hack and slice eventually just each each others blades, Rakine decided to sweep his foot under my legs, knocking me back, sending me on the floor. He jumps up to try a finisher, but I roll backward and get back up, my back against a glass wall, overlooking the rest of Coruscant, Rakine stood back up and Force pushed me through the glass wall.

Sending myself, my darksaber, and millions of glass shards out of the Jedi Temple and I'm rolling down the sloped side of the massive building. I Force jumped up and caught myself on my hoofed feet, and I began running down the side of the temple. I turned my head and saw, over my left shoulder, Rakine jump after me with a large metal sheet, and when he landed on the side, he surfed his way down to me, spinning his red lightsaber in his hand. I ignited my darksaber and readied myself to continue the battle on the wall of the Jedi Temple. When Rakine slid down toward me, slowly catching up, I force jumped off the wall and landed back on the ground, in the streets of Coruscant.

I looked up at Rakine as he jumped over my head and came down, I Force kicked him further away. I hear the gasps and murmuring as the citizens of Coruscant watching this brawl. Rakine jumped up and Force threw me into the wall of the Jedi Temple, knocking me down to the ground. He Force jumped above me and as I rolled out from under him and stood up, he landed and immediately swung into my head, striking my antlers at the base and completely chopping them off of my head. I fell to the ground and rolled away from him, jumped back up and I Force threw the metal sheet he slid on back at him. He quickly jumped over and I reached for a metal garbage bin to Force throw when he landed. But with the swing of his red lightsaber, he split the entire garbage bin in half. Both halves roll by his feet on opposite sides, slowly spilling their contents on the ground. He Force rushed to me, striking my darksaber and knocking it completely out of my grasp. I bounced back and as he held out his hand to me, the Force lightning consumed my body. I tried to reach for my darksaber with the Force to repel the electrical blast, and once I received my blade again, he stopped. He glared and struck lightning at me again, but with more aggression and hatred, making the lightning unpredictable. His blasts are strong enough to keep me away, but, soon the sign of danger in the Force began fading. When I see his eyes slowly return to their normal state, his regular green eyes, he stares in utter horror and stops electrocuting me.

I've grown so weak that I'm stumbling on my feet, trying to move closer to Rakine, but when I hold my darksaber to him, I dropped it, deactivating before hitting the ground. I sunk down on one knee, then the other, and my pained body came down to the ground. The last thing I saw was Rakine back away in horror, hold his head in his hands, and run away, with a panicked "What have I done?" before running off, and I see Rooda's ship has closely landed nearby. The citizens back up as the door opens and Rooda runs to me. All I heard was her panicked voice as she knelt down by my side before I began blacking out from the intense pain I've endured.

"Eyt!"


	7. Chapter 7

I woke up in unexplainable anger. I was in the bed in the Jedi Temple. I looked around to see how I got here. Then I saw him, as the door slowly opened. Rakine walked over to the end of the bed with his red lightsaber drawn, he Force pulled my darksaber to his other hand and he Force kicked me against the wall. As I land back on my knees, in the middle of the bed, Rakine has placed both red and black blades, crossed, over my shoulders. And with a simple scissor-like motions, the blades become parallel and slice my head off my shoulders.

I suddenly woke up screaming in a flush of anger and fear, and I felt my neck, sighing in sheer relief. I am still alive. I looked around and thought everything was all a dream. I am back in my bed, in the Warrior's hut back on Zant. My darksaber was right beside me. But then I gasped and felt the back of my head. My head was all bandaged up but I felt the base of my antlers cut all the way down to my head. I removed the blanket from over me and saw my abdomen and chest all bandaged up too. I reached for my loincloth and tied it over me, just when Rooda stepped in, with a sense of relief when she sees me.

"Eyt. Good to see you back on your hooves." She lost her look of happiness and motioned me to her, her expression growing more sad. "Chief Tzano requests your immediate council."

I stood up straight, still with the electrical pain in my body, and I Force pulled my darksaber to me as I walked out, to follow Rooda to the Chief Hall. Right as I entered the Chief Hall, I knew exactly what was going to happen.

"Eyt," the chief motioned me to him and pointed at the ground. Two Zan-Deer bucks come up from behind me and grab my darksaber from my hand and hold my arms, preventing me from moving. Rooda stood by Tzano's side, holding her lightspear, and looking to me and mouthing the words, "I'm sorry" with a tear running down her left cheek.

"Eyt S. Pezymn." A voice came for the room behind Tzano. When she pulled the curtain of leather and walked in, I knew I was in trouble.

"Ma, I can explain-"

"Eyt," Tzano folded his arms and shook his head, clicking his tongue. "You have a lot of nerve being back here." My mother walked in front of Tzano and began to kneel down in front of me.

"You had sworn an oath to the Zan-Deer of this village. When you first became a Warrior you promised to keep all aspects of Zan-Deer tradition from leaving your mental sight. You were to be honest, fierce, and courageous. You were to keep the one thing that Warriors do not ever lose." He groaned and rubbed his head, and started shaking his head. "You were to keep your antlers. Your manliness. Your promise to keep Randin safe. You have failed us, Eyt." He sighed. "And you said you were going to Coruscant with Rooda and Rakine to learn new aspects of combative defense, to protect this village, and you have lost your antlers in battle."

My mother shook her head and grew a look of disappointment.

"It wasn't his fault," Rooda called out. "Rakine was-"

"Be quiet, Rooda," the chief snapped at her.

"My opponent was much stronger than I," I tried to explain to him, anger rising in my tone.

"And that is why I hereby remove your title as "Zan-Deer Warrior". Lady Pezymn," he looked to my mother, "Remove his power."

My mother reached around my waist and grabbed the knot in my loincloth, slowly untying it, and taking the Warrior's loincloth from my body, exposing my failure. With that loincloth my pride, my position as Warrior, my dignity was gone from me. A tear ran down her face as she held it in the air, showing the rest of Randin.

"My son, Eyt, has brought a great embarrassment to us all, and especially to the Pezymn family name. You father would've been most disappointed in you, my son." She lowered the loincloth and folded it into a small square, turning to Tzano and giving the loincloth to him. She sighed loudly and rubbed her stomach in circular motions, comforting the fawn in her body.

"Eyt," Tzano pointed to me and motioned me to the door, "Leave the Chief Hall immediately." The bucks let me go and tossed me my darksaber. I glanced at Rooda, who started weeping in her spot, tightly holding her spear.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered to me.

I felt my anger grow stronger until I couldn't contain it. I Force pushed the weak and old, Chief Tzano, off his hovering chair and onto the floor. Then I turned to the curtain that lead to the outside, and sliced it down on the way straight out.

That was the end of my career as a warrior. Now I was a fool. An antler absent, Force using, naked fool. I ran through the village to the outskirts and started mercilessly slicing at the ground with my black blade. I screamed in an unholy rage when I reached the cliff where Rakine first trained me. I saw the Zan-Deer villagers down at Karariko leave their huts and look up to the cliff, having heard me. I started heavily breathing and I looked around for the ship the Rooda took from the Jedi Temple. It was perched just on the outskirts of Randin. I ran into it and started up the engines, and as the engines began, I saw Rooda and my mother run out of the Chief Hall. Rooda catches my mother from falling, panting and holding her large bump, as I sat in the pilot seat and started the ship, closed the door, and flew away from Randin. Rooda and my mother, then Randin itself shrank in the distance as I headed off, still carrying tears of anger in my eyes.

"I've done it. I've failed them. I can't show my face back there." I could only stare ahead in a wave of rage as the ship left Zant's atmosphere. I was now on my own. Rakine has betrayed me. Rooda is now against me. Randin is against me. I can only move on by myself. I am flushed in my own anger, fear, aggression, hate. The characteristics of the Dark Side.

I decided to look at a holographic mapping of the whole galaxy. I looked at all the systems that are known. From Coruscant in the middle, to Mandalore in the galactic northeast, Tatooine in the southwest. Zant is but a speck in the outer rim of the galactic west, the "unknown regions of the galaxy." I looked at all the outer rim systems and I found one that I think I could settle in. I zoomed in on a system known as "Hoth", a "frozen icy mass", a barren, empty, cold environment.

"That's where I'll go." I grabbed the ship's throttle and pushed the ship into lightspeed, toward the desolate, frozen world of Hoth.

I scanned the galaxy, locating my ship's path to Hoth through lightspeed. As it neared the system, I slowed the ship back down and the white lines in space turned back into stars. Once I saw the icy planet in the distance, I wiped the tears off my face, I looked at the darksaber on the counter and I said to myself.

"The lone life of Eyt Pezymn," I took a deep breath and the ship neared in on Hoth, "begins today." Hoth was getting closer and closer by the second and once the ship had reached the atmosphere I was reminded of the mountain tundra in the north of my former home. I growled quietly and resumed my flight, now reaching the snowy surface and scanning it for any signs of intelligent life.

"Nothing but snow and tauntauns." I sighed in relief. "I'm alone." I recognize tauntauns because they thrive in the mountainous tundra. They can be either used as transportation or hunted for food back on Zant. But here, I don't have a whole village to feed.

Right when I felt a tremor in the Force during the flight, I stopped and landed the ship near a large snowy cave entrance, thinking it was where the Force was coming from. I grabbed my darksaber from the counter as a precaution. When the door opened and I stepped out of my ship, onto the ice mass of Hoth, I remembered the torturous cold of snow. The atmosphere of Hoth turned out to be much colder than the tundra. And the worst part is I didn't have an inch of clothing to protect me, not like the loincloth would help anyway. I trudged through the snow toward the cave and held myself, shivering.

"Maybe this was a bad idea."

Just then I saw a black hooded figure emerge from the shadows of the cave and beckon me in. I followed the figure and a large metallic door opened in the wall of the cave. The figure waited for me to come in, but I fell in the snow, almost frozen. He ran closer toward me and held both his hands out to me and picked me up off the snowy ground and pulled me into the underground base that he had hidden under the snow. He closed the doors and set me down by a large fire pit. Immediately I was warmed up by the fire and I felt the man using the Force on me with an outstretched hand. I'm not sure what he was doing, but I know one thing. It stopped me from dying. I looked at the hooded figure as he pulled the black hood off of his head. He was an old human, with a strong jaw and a bald head, except for some white hair above the ears and his white goatee. He stared right down at me.

"No wonder you're all freezing and shivering. Youve no clothes to protect your fragile body." The man looked down at me. "What brings you out this far, fellow Zan-Deer?"

I looked up at him and I tried to speak.

"I was- betrayed, disrespected, and my own master had tried to kill me." I sat up and angrily stared into the fire.

"I see. I can feel your anger. Your hate. Your aggression. It makes you stronger than before. You are focused with your anger." He smirked. "You seek revenge."

"How do you know all of this?"

"I am Darth Sorin, the lost Sith Lord from Naboo. I came out here in exile. It's a long story."

"I have nowhere to go." I sighed, upset. "Tell me what happened."

"Very well," Sorin nodded. "I was friends with an older Sith Lord who was once known as Darth Plagueis the Wise. We both knew so much about the Force, we learned to stop people from dying. It is how you haven't frozen to death out there."

I was rescued by a Sith Lord, and now I think of everything that Rakine has taught me. Are the Sith really evil? Was Rakine lying to me about the Sith? I can only be grateful to this one Sith Lord for saving me.

"Thank you, Lord Sorin."

He nodded.

"Don't worry, we both escaped from the past. Me and Plageuis both learned the same aspects of the Dark Side. Eventually he taught his apprentice what he knew. Then his apprentice, Darth Sidious, killed him in his sleep. After that I was worried about Sidious, who's become one of the most powerful Sith in the galaxy, I thought he would kill me next. So I fled the Republic and came here, to this abandoned hangar left behind by the Republic long ago. This is my home now. I have stayed here for at least thirty years, waiting for someone to come here, to find me, to be my own apprentice."

I have been saved by Sorin to soon become his Sith apprentice. That's why he saved me. After what happened so far, I am left with one alternative choice.

"I will join you Lord Sorin, as your apprentice." I knelt down to him.

"Will you really join me?" He almost grinned.

"Yes. And for good reasons. The Republic has been broken down from what I know. The Galactic Empire has risen and the Sith rule the galaxy. The Jedi have fallen and rebels now fight the Empire." I grow into greater anger. "They have chopped off my antlers. I lost my whole Zan-Deer manhood, my job, my friends, my life. I want to exact my revenge on my former master. He has ruined everything for me. He is the reason for all of this." I am blind in my own rage. "It's all his fault!" I Force throw an entire metal container across the large hall and I watch a smile grow on Sorin's face.

"The Force is very strong with you," he felt all my angry emotions through the Force. "You will rise as a powerful Sith apprentice. I will become your master, and you shall be known as the Sith Lord, Darth-" he thought for a second, "Darth Venison." He smirked.

I bowed my head down to my new master, with little to no care of what else happened now.

"Thank you, Master Sorin."


	8. Chapter 8

I rose in front of my Sith master, Darth Sorin, and presented him with my darksaber.

"This is my darksaber. The weapon I have fought with. I built it myself of bits of debris from a crashed ship and a black crystal from in a smuggled bag of goods."

I showed it do him and he took it in his hands, igniting it and inspecting everything about it.

"That is some true lightsaber forging skills. And it works perfectly." He grinned and deactivated it, giving it back to me. "You are indeed a very well-trained person already. But you wish to learn the Dark Side of the Force, correct?"

"Yes, I do, master." I nodded. "I pledge myself to your teachings."

"Excellent," he walked into another room and beckoned me to follow. He led me into a room full of tan battle droids shaped like human figures, armed with blasters.

"This is a training room to see how well and quick you can slay a mass quantity of enemies. But they are intelligent battle droids from the attacks of Seperatists before and during the Clone Wars." He walked over to a control panel and pushed a few buttons. Suddenly the floor in the arena started moving, some chunks of the ground rising up and other sections of the floor sinking deep into it. Sections of the walls open and platforms containing more droids emerge from the walls.

"Their weapons are set from kill to stun, as well. So you shouldn't be able to die if you are shot. And this switch here," he pointed to a big yellow turning switch, "is what turns the droids on and off. If ever you fail to kill them all in the shortest time possible, I will deactivate the remaining droids. So relax, this should be simple."

I turn on my darksaber and watch as the droids are activated when Master Sorin turns the switch. The droids simultaneously stood up on both their legs, their heads emerged out of their chest, and as they pulled a blaster off from their backs, they turned to face me.

"Let the simulation begin," I hear my master's voice speaking to the droids.

"Roger, roger." One droid says as it makes a fist with its hand. Soon all the droids do the same and I hear countless "Roger, roger. Roger, roger. Roger, roger."

I ignited my darksaber and watched as the droids aim their blasters at me. Once one shoots, I suddenly burst with Force energy and I run to one droid, deflecting its shot into its torso, I jumped to the wall, rebounded off and flew over another droid. I decapitated one droid and I Force shoved another off a high ledge. A flurry of red bolts flies to me and I repel each shot, hitting either a droid or the wall. I Force dashed again, this time through the wave of droids. I swung my blade in front of me and I see a wave of droid parts and I hear droids scream when I dash toward them. I Force jumped up to a high ledge and landed in a somersault, slicing a droid in half in the process. One droid shoots to me and I wave my blade, bouncing the bolt back at it, knocking its head clean off its shoulders. I looked around for any surviving droids and I dropped down to the floor. I hear a shot behind me and hold my blade over my shoulder, deflecting the bolt back into the droid. I hear it squawk and hit the floor without turning my head. I looked at the wreckage of droid bits and I see my master clapping slowly and nodding in approval.

"Yes. Lord Venison, you are a skilled fighter, the most skilled I have ever seen. And you're so strong with the Force that you learn it so fast. Very impressive." He smiled a wide toothy grin. "I know the Sith are supposed to traditionally be aggressive and rule through anger and hate, but I was known as," he gulps, "the Cowardly Sith."

I walked out of the training arena and looked over at him.

"Why did they call you that?"

"Because I never actually came in contact with the Jedi. I knew how to take down battle droids. Other than that, I was overwhelmed. I mostly fled a battle from a Jedi, because I know just how powerful they are. I soon learned how anger and aggression can help me teach the ways of the Dark Side, but I guess I was so aggressive with my last apprentice, my Force lightning messed with his head."

I ignited my darksaber and pointed it at Lord Sorin.

"You trained Rakine the ways of the Dark Side. It was your lightning that gave the Dark Side in him possessive power. It was you that-" I stopped and realized my one flaw at the Jedi Temple. I realized now everything that happened in that battle. I was wrong. "I didn't fight Rakine, I fought you. You possessed him into chopping off my antlers. You ruined everything for me on Zant. You ruined my life and brought me here to train me myself. This was all your doing." My hand shakes in anger as I raise my darksaber. Right before I jumped in the air to slash Sorin down, he stops me in midair with the Force and throws me into a wall on the opposite side of the arena. I hit the ground and when I looked up at Lord Sorin, who now towered above me, the small wave of his wrinkled hand had knocked my head into the floor with such force I hold my forehead in pain. I couldn't do anything but watch as he wove his hand at me.

"You are my apprentice now. You won't remember that you tried to kill me, or that I taught Rakine the Dark Side. You will remain loyal to me, your master Darth Sorin, you will and rise as Darth Venison." He grinned at me as I slowly start repeating the words he spoke to me.

"I am your apprentice now." I can't stop myself from repeating his words. It's as if he is controlling my body now. "I won't remember that I tried to kill you, or that you taught Rakine the Dark Side." But I know he did, I almost killed Rakine but he was innocent. He was possessed by this dark lord. "I will remain loyal to you," I feel like screaming at myself as my vision starts to fade slowly. "My master Darth Sorin." I start to grow numb in pain and I feel my eyes slowly closing a trance. "And I will rise as Darth Venison." My eyes close completely and the words "Darth Venison" echo in my mind as I blacked out on the cold metal floor.

* * *

I woke up in a bed, I felt the bandages on my body were gone. My antlers were still gone, but I still remember how I lost them. Rakine has rid me of my antlers and so my very purpose on Zant. I got up out of the bed and looked at myself in a mirror on the wall of the metal chamber I was in. I still had no loincloth, still nothing over my body. I was still naked. My darksaber was sitting on the table beside the bed. I looked closely at myself as I saw my reflection begin to change. It morphs into what I looked like in the past, my antlers on my head and my loincloth on my waist. I still see the black fur dye, covering my whole visible body, over my naturally tan body. The image in the mirror starts to change, the antlers break off, blacker singe marks form on my chest and I start to feel the same shocking pain again as it grows back. Bandages wrapped around my torso and the dome of my head, the loincloth disintegrates in thin air. The bandages melt off and I now looked like my current self, how I remember myself looking the last time I was conscious.

The image continued to change and my antlers disappear from my head completely and big a metal plate started to cover the back of my head. Big metal stubs, which resemble the pommel end of my darksaber, start to drill into the back of my head, just behind my ears, and down to the skull, where my antlers attached to my head. I am caught holding the back of my head, screaming loudly in tremendous pain as the metal drilling in my head stops. Then two metal machines started to emerge out of the stubs in my head. They start to fan out into four individual lightsaber emitters, all vertical to each other, the four sabers in each side of my head stuck out behind my ears up to the top of my head. Like where my natural antlers once grew. The lightsaber emitters stopped growing in length all I felt was a slow wave of anger begin to form. Is this what's becoming of me? When the anger grew, all eight of the "antler-sabers" ignited, a red blade sticking out of each emitter in my head. When the anger died down, the blades shrank back into the back of my head. I stared at my reflection in fear when I realized my new self. My anger is my most dangerous weapon.

I watched as my mirror reflection kept transforming. The image closed its eyes and black dye started to cover his closed eyelids and make black circles marks around the eyes. The black started to run down to both the sides of my nose in two spikes. From the corner of the eye down to the nose. My image kept its eyes closed as its body started shifting. A set of thin black pants and a long, black tunic started forming over my body, down to my wrists. A tunic started growing over the shirt, an even darker black than the shirt itself. A thick tan line ran from the front of the shirt down to the center of my chest and ended in a spike. Smaller tan lines started spreading from that line and circled around my torso, all parallel to each other. A dark brown belt grew round my waist, two curved, gray lightsabers hanging on the sides. Black leather gloves started to cover my hands, all three fingertips to about halfway at my elbows. Thin black leather boots formed in the middle of my legs and ran down to my hoofed feet, a flat sole grew on the bottom, straightening my feet to the floor. I looked as a large black cloak lowered from the ceiling of the room and rest upon my shoulders and locked at my chest, the cloak began covering my entire body with its large cape. The cloak's hood covered my ears and antler-sabers in my mirror image. Suddenly the words echoed through my mind again.

"Darth Venison."

My mirror image opened it eyes and revealed the Sith colors, yellow with a red outer ring on the irises. It started chuckling menacingly and when it stopped chuckling, it's fanged grin snarled at me. I started screaming and the screams began echoing throughout this small chamber that I woke up in. I am surrounding by my own fear and screams and everything started to close in on me. The walls started moving closer to me, and the mirror falls over me. Instead of crushing me, the mirror image's appearance closes on me. I'm suddenly wearing the Sith outfit and I feel the metal antler-sabers in my head. I start screaming in agony and everything flashes to black.

All I know now is one thing. Eyt Pezymn is dead. Darth Venison has awakened.


	9. Chapter 9

I felt a dark shake in the Force when I woke up and rose from the bed. I looked around and I was in the same room as in my nightmare, of becoming a Sith Lord, Darth Venison. What's strange about that nightmare, my memory before it has faded. I only remember Rakine's attack on me, effectively losing my antlers, and Zandin, my home, has turned against me. All but Rooda. And I left her there. I went to Hoth and met the Sith Lord Darth Sorin, and he has become my master. Everything else is a blur, shrouded by the Dark Side.

I got up out of the bed, and I looked at myself and saw I wasn't naked anymore. I had a small white suit on, that covered my forearms, torso, and down halfway down my legs. There was a hole in the back, allowing for my tail to stick through, out of the suit. A zipper ran down from my suit collar down to my stomach. I looked around to see what was going on. I got up to check my reflection in the mirror, and there was nothing unusual. I turned to the door, Force pushed it open walked out of the room. I walked down the hall, but I can't help but wonder. Why would Sorin stay in this large facility by himself? I would expect a "Cowardly Sith" to have some form of protection and bodyguard. I guess that's where I come in as a new and young apprentice. I noticed a mark on the floor of the hallway, carved in the shape of an arrow. And with curiosity, I decided to follow the arrow.

"Master Sorin?" I called out as I followed the halls and arrows to another training facility. I opened the door and saw a bunch of weapons scattered throughout the room. I walked over to a table and picked up a gray curved lightsaber. I pushed a button, activating it, and a long crimson blade stuck out. I picked up the other curved lightsaber on the table, it looked like the other lightsaber's twin. I looked at both pommel ends and noticed both of them had a unique end piece. I stuck the pommel ends together and the lightsabers started connecting inside. I set the weapon down and thought.

"That looks almost like Rooda's lightspear. With blades at each end."

Rooda. I remember when I last saw her. I left her on Zant after I stormed off in a blind rage. I knew I must go back. I know what I'm going to do when I get back. I'm going to steal back my loincloth. It was a sign of my power on Zant. I will keep it always as a reminder of how fierce and powerful I was.

I felt my master's presence through the Force as he entered the lightsaber room behind me.

"I see you have found the Lightsaber Crafting Room." He chuckled. "This is always an important part of Jedi and Sith training. The lightsaber is traditionally a weapon-"

I grab my head and start to groan in agony.

"I can't stand the sound of that word. Forgive me, Master. That word is what removed my power on Zant." I looked slowly to him.

"I understand." He nodded, but barely seemed to care. "How better can I say it? It is a rite of passage. Does that sound better?"

I nodded slowly.

"So, it is a rite of passage from Apprentice to Lord or Master. This is usually the last step of the training but, you have already built your own saber before." He pulled my darksaber off the belt of his robe, and with the Force, he gently set it in a glass case. "Darksabers are exceptionally rare. Its black crystals are very rare, and only synthetically made. How did you get your hands on a black crystal?"

"The debris of a crashed starship outside our village in the desert. The cargo in it contains many colored crystals, most likely smuggled or stolen."

"I see. Well it better stay here so there's a guarantee no one would steal it.

"So it stays here for safekeeping?"

"Exactly." He closed the case. "I'm sure everyone is looking through the galaxy for a weapon like that. Men will kill for it."

"I understand, Master." I picked up the S-shaped saberstaff.

"That was my old weapon when I was a younger Sith. The crimson blades glow darker than your standard red blades."

I turned a side of the saberstaff on and I examined the blade, nodding. I turned it back off.

"Now, since you are a Zan-Deer, and the first one to become a Sith, I have built these while you were unconscious." He picked up two metal stubs and a metal plate. The same base of the antler-sabers in my nightmare. I backed away, bumping into the table.

"Antler-sabers." I thought of the pain that I felt in my nightmare, when my antlers were cut out of my head and those metal stubs were implanted into my skull.

"Yes. I thought since you lost your natural antlers, this might serve as a better replacement."

"How long did it take you to make those?" I asked.

"Only about the fifteen hours you were unconscious. I used to be a skilled lightsaber craftsman and mechanic."

"You said these would replace my natural antlers?" I continued to think of the nightmare I had of my transformation.

I know how horrible it felt. The pain that I felt in my sleep. As if they were already implanted in my head. I know if I'm to become a strong and powerful Sith Lord, I would have to endure the pain and get through with it. I sighed and said with a grin, almost hissing with my Zan-Deer fanged teeth.

"It's perfect." I walked over to my Master, and held a stub in my hand. "I must fully remove my old antlers." I turned and showed him the back of my head and pointed to the base of my head, where the antlers barely stick out. "These will be implanted in the back of my head, after the antlers in my head are surgically removed." I turned back around. "These antler-sabers are a brilliant weapon, and since you have had experience in the Force to stop people from dying, it will guarantee I survive the antler transplant." I fear I've gone mad, but I know I will soon tolerate pain. Then if I lost something it wouldn't affect me. "Let's do it."

Master Sorin stares at me in horror and twitches.

"All right, Lord Venison," he held the antler-sabers in his hand. "If this is what you want," I nodded.

"It is what I want."

"You're a difficult one to understand. Then follow me to an operation room." He walked out of the lightsaber room. I Force pulled the crimson-blade saberstaff to me and I take both halves apart hold the lightsabers in my hands, before walking out and following my Master to the operation room.

He walked down the hall to an elevator and beckoned me in. I stepped in next to him and I notice him look at the lightsabers.

"You like the lightsabers don't you?"

I nodded.

"They're better than just one blade. And if they were used by a Sith Master and they still work, it proves how worthy a weapon like this is." I looked at the lightsabers. "And they connect into a saberstaff."

"Indeed they do. You're a very good learner, my apprentice. And such a fast learner too. You will rise into a very powerful Sith. Maybe even more powerful than me." He looked at me. "I told you how I was too aggressive and I shocked my former apprentice so much I broke him. Now his Dark Side is very vulnerable to possession. An awesome and terrible power." The elevator opened and he walked to the operation rooms. "That's why I stopped ruling through aggression. I learned to calm my mind and that is why I'm going so easy on you."

For reasons unknown, I find that very hard to believe.

He entered a room and set the antler-sabers on the operating table. "But now that you want to perform this action, I'll have to inflict tremendous pain just for this operation to work."

"I have felt the same pain before." I sat on the operating bed and adjusted the headrest, laid flat on my stomach and stuck my face through the cavity in the headrest. "I had a dream about my physical transformation to the Sith. I had these antler-sabers implanted into my head. I actually felt the pain. And we Zan-Deer can adapt to pain pretty quickly."

"Very well." Master Sorin walked over to me and with the Force, shackled my neck and head, wrists, waist, and ankles to the operating bedside. I only stares at the floor, expressionless as Master Sorin took the lightsabers from my grasp. He set both of them on the table and grabs a small lightknife off of the table. He carefully held it close to the back of my head.

"Ready?" He holds the blade of the knife perfectly still as I still stared at the floor. I feel a metal plate being pressed on the back of my head.

"Yes, Master-"

I stop myself as the lightknife's blade sinks into the antler base on the left side of my head. I only groan as the blade melts my antler at the base of my head. I hear him grab on of the antler stub when I hear the metal clinging on the operating table. He sets the knife down and reaches for one of the metal antler stubs. I feel the cold metal antler stub being pressed onto the back of my head against the bony antler just under the skin. The machine slowly starts drilling into my antler under the skin and I start groaning. The drilling gets faster and web it penetrates the back of my skull, I scream in pain. The stub stops and tiny metal rods cling into my skin, muscles, and skull, fastening the stub into place. I am screaming when the stub expands in my head from the top of the head to the behind my ear. I feel the humming of the machine vibrate as it starts fanning out and the four branches emerge from the machine in my head. The emitters protrude and the machine's purring stops.

"Did it work?" I asked Master Sorin and he steps back.

"Time to find out." He rubs his hands nervously.

I remember in my nightmare the antler-sabers are powered by conscious anger. I start to think of Rakine, when he first chopped my antlers off my head. I start breathing heavily, making fists in my hands and I hear and feel all four blades emerge from the left side of my head.

"It works," Master Sorin says with an emotion if relief as the blades shrink down into my head. "These antler-sabers are fueled by the emotions of the user. So your anger, fear, aggression, and hate ignite the sabers. It's a communication system now links into your head, physically and mentally." Sorin walks back up to the table and grabs the lightknife. "Ready for the right side?"

He walks around me and the operation bed to my right. I nod and he sticks the lightknife against my right antler and it melts down to my skin layer, ready for the next stub's drilling into my head. He places the stub on my antler and starts drilling in down to my skull. I'm screaming loudly in pain again as the stub stops drilling and the rods sink into my head, attaching itself to me internally. The stub expands into the same machine and the four lightsabers begin to grow out of the back. Once the emitters finish forming, I try again to power the finished antler-sabers. I thought angry thoughts and both lightsabers activated at the same time. Master Sorin released me from the operating bed and I deactivate my antler-sabers. I kneel down to my master.

"Thank you, Master, for the antler upgrades." I look up to him as he hands me my new lightsabers.

"All ten of your blades are given the crimson glow, so your blades all match." He walked off to a wardrobe, Force opened it and motioned me to him. "This is a wardrobe of many Sith outfits. You can take your pick. I doubt you want to stay in that small white uniform." I looked down to my suit and looked back at the wardrobe. I picked up black leather boots, black elbow-length gloves. Black pants with black shirt, a black belt for my lightsabers, the black tunic with tan ribcage design and a long black cloak. The same outfit I wore in my nightmare.

"This is perfect." I looked at Master Sorin, only nodding as I started putting on the Sith outfit over the white uniform. First I equipped the shirt and pants, then the tunic, the gloves and boots, and finally the cloak. And once I let the cloak rest on my shoulders, the cloak's large cape covered my whole body, giving the illusion that I'm a walking cloak.

"Lord Venison," Master Sorin grinned at me, "you look absolutely terrifying. It just needs one more thing." He reached in the wardrobe and pulled out a container of black dye. The same dye made from the spider venom of a ticking desert spider. "I got this from spider venom on Zant. I've visited your system many times in the past. How do you think I recognized your species once I first met you?"

I nodded.

"What is the dye for?" Then I remembered. My image finished with black dye surrounding and covering my eyes and marks from the front corners of my eyes down to my nose. "I know what to do." I found a mirror in the wardrobe and took some dye from the container. I moved my fingers in a circular motion over my eyes, forming the rings and covering my eyelids in the black dye. I ran both my fingers from my eyes down to my nose and finished the black rings around my eyes.

"Darth Venison," Master Sorin looked at me again, "you are the most dangerous Sith Lord I have seen in a long time. I know you'll be a worthy warrior in the Sith archive."

I grinned, showing my fanged teeth.

"I have an idea for you, Lord Venison. You should return to Zant and show them what a real warrior looks like." He chuckled.

I nodded and walked to the door, looking back to my Master.

"I will return for the rest of my training, Master." I walked out and took the nearest elevator up to the top, where my ship stayed up at the entrance of the cave. "I will show them what a real warrior looks like." I opened my cloak and looked at my lightsabers attached to my belt. "I'll really show them." I'm going to steal back my loincloth. It was a symbol of my life as a "Zan-Deer Warrior", and I'm going to keep that with me.

I reached the top of the elevator shaft and I ran to the cave entrance, my cape flowing behind me as I ran out. I opened the door and ran through the snow to the entrance of my ship, it was buried in snow. I held out my lightsabers and stuck them in the snow, the snow glowing the crimson glow and melting into the blades. When the snow all melted away, I opened the door to the ship and entered, I started a round trip back to Zant. The ship lifted off the snowy ground, snow falling down the sides of the ship's outer hull, and when the ship faced the sky, the ship entered light speed and headed straight for the Zant system.


	10. Chapter 10

The ship has landed on the outskirts of Randin and as I stepped out the door, pulling my cloak hood over my head, the Zan-Deer looked at me in shock and fear. I walked quietly through the village as everyone backed out of my way. Even Rooda, recognizing my face, stepped back.

"Eyt, what happened to you?" She looked down at my outfit, then at my face. "You're not- you."

"Oh, Rooda," I chuckled, "I'm more me than I've ever been." I kept walking to the Chief Hall, and once I entered through the sliced curtain. Two Zan-Deer bucks, the same that held me back when I was dishonored, stepped in front of me. I Force threw one to the back wall with enough strength to knock him through it. I held out my hand to the other, clenching my fist, strangling the other and sending him to his knees. I watch as Chief Tzano, partially recovered from our last encounter, entered the room and stared at me.

"What is the meaning of this?" He glared at me.

I raised my hooded head and revealed my face to the chief.

"Eyt-" he murmured in fear. "If this is about the "Warrior" thing, I'm sorry." His chair started backing away as I slowly walked closer. "It's just our tradition, remember?"

I snarled at him and pulled a lightsaber from my belt. I ignited its crimson blade.

"You're right. Tradition. Well, I'm no longer a believer in your pathetic traditional ways." I pointed the blade at his neck. "I should thank you, however, because now I am a more powerful warrior than you have ever seen." Two Zan-Deer enter behind me, to try to help Tzano and I Force shoved them against the wall with my hand behind my back. The old chief whimpered in fear as I pulled my other lightsaber out and held both blades at the sides of his neck. I glare at the chief and as my anger for him rises, my eyes become the color of the Dark Side and when I pull my hood off my head, I revealed my new antler-sabers and the ignite, sensing my anger.

I let the chief catch this last glimpse a few more seconds when I say the last few words he will ever hear.

"Because of you, the most respected warrior in the whole desert has now become one with the Dark Side of the Force. And I'm not Eyt anymore. Now, I am Darth Venison, mighty Sith Warrior."

"Eyt-" he pleas.

I firmly held the blades near his neck, both crossed at his throat, and move the blades in a scissor-like motion, decapitating and killing Tzano. I walked into the back room as I hear his head roll on the floor. I searched for my Warrior's loincloth and I chuckle when the buck laying in the pile of debris from the wall try to get up. I walked over to him and stepped on his chest.

"Where is it?" I snarled at him.

He pointed at the table in the corner of the room and whimpered in fear. I walked over to the table and grabbed it off the table. I turned to the buck as I folded up the loincloth and tucked it under my belt.

"I want you to make it clear to everyone that I'm not the same Warrior you fired. Now I am more powerful. Here on Zant, I have more power than anyone. Down here, I'm God." I picked up Tzano's severed head by his antlers and walked out of the Chief Hall. Immediately the Zan-Deer gather and stare in horror as I throw the chief's head into the ground.

"I have come back to strike fear into the hearts of all. The old chief is dead. He has caused a great dishonor to me. And now, because of him, I have become the the most powerful warrior in the history of Zant. I am-" I pulled my good off my head and the antler-sabers on my head all ignited in unison, "-Darth Venison, the Zan-Deer Lord of the Sith." I turn to Rooda as she backs away from me in fear. "Rooda, I ask you to join me, as my apprentice. Join me, and together we will rule Zant as the most powerful Zan-Deer in the galaxy." I held out my hand to her, to see if she would take it, and conform to the Dark Side. To join her lost Eyt. "We will triumph over our enemies. We will protect Zant's way of life. We will be unstoppable and no one would dare to try and overthrow us as the rulers of this planet. What do you say?"

I watched her as she hesitated, just sitting down on her knees, thinking. Then she looked up at me, nodding.

"Lord Venison," she stood up on her hoofed feet. "We warriors train together." She grabbed my hand and then looked at the Zan-Deer villagers. "I still have a tradition to keep." She smirked as she held her fingers crossed behind her back. She's thinking about our time on Coruscant, when we had to share a room and slept still wearing our cloth. The time where she broke the rules.

We watched as one Zan-Deer villager kneel on one knee. Slowly, others started kneeling down to us and the whole village respected us for who we are now.

"Good," I smirked. "But, Rooda, you cannot be trained here. I know somewhere, and someone, that will help teach you the Force. Give you the ability to feel everything. Then you'll see what I have seen within the last days."

"All right," she nodded her head submissively, looking to the ground. "I'll go with you." I put my hand under her chin and got her to look at me. "Have faith, Rooda. Once you are trained, we will once again share the same power." I watched her eyes drift to my ship. "You want to say goodbye before you go with me?" She shook her head.

"It would be too much. Too sad for everyone." She walked straight to the ship and I followed her in, closing the door behind me. I sat down in the pilot seat and started the ship, slowly picking it up, and charging a flight back to Hoth.

"You're upset." I looked to her as I fly over Randin. "Why? Is it them?"

"I worry, what if something kills them while we're gone?" She turned to me. "Our family, our friends."

"Our families don't look out for each other anymore and we're each other's only friend." The ship left the atmosphere of Zant and I get the ship to enter lightspeed. "Hoth is different though. There it's quiet, and empty, lonely. Other then my master, Lord Sorin. He has taught me everything about the Force. Everything that Rakine failed in." I chuckle and look back to reassure her. "Everything will be fine now. It may be the Dark Side and we might as well now be evil" I fold both my fingers when I say the word "evil", "But we're still powerful warriors. And as long as we are warrior, we can't lose. That's why I came back to Zant. I was a terrifying power. We can protect the Zan-Deer and intimidate any of our opponents. So I want you to join me and you will soon grow more power than you have had before." The ship slows down and Hoth draws nearer and nearer. "There it is Roo. Hoth." I flew the ship closer to the atmosphere, and I look to Rooda.

"Is that all snow?"

"Hoth is a large icy mass. It is empty and desolate. Only me and my master are here now. It is where I've been trained in the Dark Side. You might love it here. It's nice and quiet, and the best part is-" The ship flew down to the snowy landscape and tauntauns roam the snowy fields. "Your favorite hunting prey. Tauntauns." Rooda stared out the window, a smile on her face. Tauntaun meat was her favorite since she was a Zan-Deer fawn, back when she roamed Zant's mountainous tundra alone. She says that's where she learned to hunt down the large beasts. How she became one the most vicious of the Zan-Deer desert Warriors.

"This is perfect, Eyt," She look at me. "I loved the snow and tauntauns as a fawn. I think this place might be better than I thought. Where is this Sorin though?"

"Right there," I landed the ship just outside the cave and opened the door leading out into the snow. Rooda got out of her seat and ran out in the middle of the snow. She sighed happily, held her arms out at her sides, and spun around, dancing in the snow. She fell back and rolled in the snow and laughed, just like back wen she was younger. I couldn't help but chuckle, walk out, and watch her. I felt Lord Sorin arriving through the Force and motion for Rooda to get up.

"He is coming." I watch her stand up and wipe the snow off her soft fur. I watch the large metal doors open into the cave entrance and Lord Sorin walk out into the snow.

"Welcome home, Lord Venison. I'm sure your trip was productive." He grins as he walks by me, then turns to Rooda. "And who might you be?"

"She is another warrior. My partner, Rooda. I hope her presence is no trouble."

"No trouble at all. But if you're going to teach her the Force, I should tell you about the Rule of Two-" He stops mid sentence and stays there thinking, If something about it was stuck on his mind. "Nevermind. It isn't important. We can train her. But there is a problem." He stopped and closed his eyes, feeling the Force through Rooda.

"What is it?" I closed my eyes and felt Rooda in the Force. I knew now what he felt. Rooda isn't as Force-sensitive as I. Only a tiny vibration.

"It will be difficult to train her the full Force. Force jumping and Force shoving is possible, but I can arrange for her to be trained with lightsaber combat."

"I am an excellent acrobat." Rooda chuckled. "And my lightspear is my best weapon." She held it in her hands, ignited both blades and twirled it in the air above her head, with one hand. She began practicing methods of combat with it, performing offensive and defensive maneuvers each time I swing one of my crimson blades.

"Is it?" He looked at her, both unamused and worried. "Your blades are too short to fight with. A double-sided weapon is good, but perhaps you should learn of the saberstaff."

I took my two curved lightsabers and stuck the pommel ends together, connecting into a saberstaff. I ignited the blades and Rooda stared in awe.

"That's a saberstaff?" She asked.

"That's amazing. This is a weapon for fighting?" I asked him.

"It is." Sorin nodded. "And you can learn to use them." Rooda took the saberstaff from my hand, handed me her lightspear, and came to me, practicing on me with the saberstaff. She becomes aggressive and with each swing, I can barely block each attack. She uses the saberstaff to knock her lightspear out of my hands and onto the ground, she swept one leg under my feet and knocked me to the ground, holding one blade at me and looking at Lord Sorin.

"See? I can fight." She deactivated the saberstaff and handed it to me and she picked up her lightspear.

"Very well," Sorin rubbed his head. "Come inside. It's too cold out here. We can continue talking in there." He motioned us to the underground base and stopped to point at my ship. "That should be stored here in the hangar. There is enough room for it there." He pushed a button on a control panel on the wall and large metal doors opened to a hangar. I walked back out to the ship and started it, to rest it in the hangar, to avoid detection from others or to be buried in the snow. When I came out of the hangar and closed up the base entrance, I saw Rooda sitting down at a fire, rubbing her hands together, and warming up by the flames.


	11. Chapter 11

I came over to Rooda and sat down beside her, my hands toward the fire.

"I know this place and everything going on now seems unusual. But so was going to Coruscant. A big change has hit us Roo. And I still know know if it's for the good or bad. Rakine severed my antlers this my career and now look what I've done in the course of my own anger." I rubbed the back of my head, slightly ashamed. "I turned to the Dark Side. I killed out chief and called Randin my own. Who does these things?" I looked to her for an answer.

"The Sith." She sighed. "If the Dark Side has possessed Rakine and influenced him to try and kill you, it may have an impact on you now. You're being mentored into the Dark Side, and now it seduces you closer and closer to evil." She took the hood off my head and rubbed my metallic antler-sabers. "Look at you. You're not the Eyt I remember. You've changed, and the Dark Side of the Force has you as its many living puppets." She broke her monotonous, expressionless appearance and hugged my abdomen, crying into my stomach. "Please Eyt. Please come back. I hardly know you anymore." The Force then sends me a message to my brain. It says this story had happened before. With a Jedi, now Sith, leaving his loved ones behind. Vader.

I immediately begin to regret my decision to turn to the Dark Side in revenge over my antlers. He was possessed by the Dark Side. And I challenged him like a fool.

"I know what I did was horrible and now I'm unrecognizable. But there's nothing I can do about it now. I don't know how I can change my sudden ways." I rubbed my hand across the back of her head as she wept. "But I will try to remain as I was. I won't let this Dark Side control me anymore." I look in my left peripheral and see Lord Sorin approach from the hangar. What could he have been doing in there?

"You came here to be taught by the Dark Side and now you're thinking about your choices to become a Sith Lord? You have cornered yourself in your own choices. Which ones are bad and which ones are good? Which are minor and don't hurt and which will permanently change your life and your friends' lives?" He rubs his balding scalp in extreme confusion. "You're like me when I was younger. I also thought was the Dark Side really my only option? Could it have been avoided? And even now, do I want to be a Sith?" He sat down by Rooda. "I wouldn't ever fight anyone. That's why I'm the Cowardly Sith." He looked down at Rooda leaning her head into my chest, wiping her tears away. "I know being a Sith isn't easy. Hell, I wished I could quit and go back to being a mechanic, but were both stuck with the Dark Side as our masters. It claims who it chooses and shows no mercy." Sorin looked to me. "So your friend Rakine was under control of the Dark Side itself. When did this happen?" It looked like he knew what I have been through. He then looked at Rooda.

"The Jedi Temple I think. If there is a Dark Side and it opposes the Jedi Order, then it may explain why-" I lose concentration in what Rooda was saying as my eyes drifted off to Master Sorin, who's eyes have turned white and he waved one hand at me.

Suddenly I'm overcome with strong waves of anger and hate. I hold my hands to my head and scream to myself and I feel the Dark Side start to control my body in intense waves. I'm screaming on the inside but no sound is coming out. I feel possession throughout my body and I lose all control over myself. I could only watch myself become a puppet of the Dark Side. And I saw now who it was in control of it. My own master has tricked me. "He's a liar" echoed to my mind.

"I wouldn't ever fight anyone." He chuckled evilly. "I make someone else do it for me." He lifted Rooda off of me up with the Force, sending her into some sort of sleep, and pointed to the hangar. "Now go, Lord Venison, to find Rakine Cerivian, and avenge your antlers, your manhood, your Zant life."

I'm stuck walking to the hangar carrying an unconscious Rooda in my arms. I opened the hangar door with the Force and I saw my ship had completely changed in appearance. The basic shape was the same but the hyperdrive for entering lightspeed has been disabled. Two massive metal stubs now protrude from the top of the ship. The shop itself is no longer a metallic color but it's a tan gray. The tip at the front is painted black and two black lines lead from the tip to around the front windshields. I noticed now what Sorin did to my ship. He turned it into a large metallic recreation of my head. Now everyone will know that this ship truly belongs to me. But how could Sorin have built all this on to my ship so fast, even for a mechanic? I opened the ship'a door and walked in. I lay Rooda down on a bed that I popped out of the ship's wall with the push of a button, setting her down gently, and pulling a large comforting blanket over her body. She lay still. I sat down into the pilot seat of the ship and started it up. While holding the throttle for the engine, I stared at the doors and sure enough, my mind opened them. Like my mind is open to Sorin's possession ability. I have to be careful because he can control me any time I disobey him. I flew the ship out of the base and up into space and thought to myself in fear of both Rakine and myself.

"Where is Rakine? I need to talk to him." I looked at my belt and lightsabers ten back out the windshield into space. "I know he was possessed. None of this was his fault. It was mine for trying to fight him, but it wasn't him. It was Sorin."

The ship left Hoth's barren atmosphere and I pushed the button for the ship to enter lightspeed. It didn't. Instead, out of the mirrors pointing out of the ship, I saw the large metal stubs grow long antennae and the antennae split into four sections. Like my antler-sabers. The long eight antennae stuck out into space and between them, massive sails attached them together and the ship was surrounded at the sides with large solar sails to help it quickly glide through space. The large metal icon of myself soared throughout the galaxy to find Rakine. I communicated with the Force to try to find him. It tells me to search my feelings.

And so my large sailed ship, now named " _Zant's Nightmare_ " soars the outer rim territories to search for my old Jedi master. But Sorin can now take control of my body, now that I took his apprenticeship.

"Why did I have to be such an idiot?" I sat back in the chair thinking about where Rakine would be. I looked to Rooda, still unconscious in the bed, then to the front where I saw everything in space pass by the large sailed ship as it soared. I kept waiting for a sign of his presence anywhere. Until my connection with the Force spotted him somewhere in the Utapau system. I turn the _Nightmare_ toward Utapau in search of Rakine.

Then waves of anger and fear consume my emotions. I gasped and tried to remain myself as I felt my body begin to go numb. I was no longer in control of my body. I could only watch as now, Lord Sorin took control of me and flew to Utapau to kill Rakine. My emotion, my body, my ship, none of it I could control. I had been possessed. Now Lord Sorin was in me, and now I had to fight him out.

 _Zant's Nightmare_ reached the Utapau system and directed toward Utapau. I heard Sorin chuckle evilly as the planet drew nearer, and with him now in control of me, I am only a small conscious being in my mind. I tried to reason with Sorin to stop the possession and release me into the real world.

"Oh, I think not. I haven't been out here in a long time. Allow me to say "hi" to your friend and introduce him to my crimson blades." He snickered and the _Nightmare_ entered Utapau's atmosphere, the large antler-sails shrank a back down into the sides of the ship. We both sensed Rakine in one of the sinkholes, and we feel he senses both of us now. The _Nightmare_ went down in one of the sinkholes and landing on a docking bay on the side of the wall. Lord Venison walked out of the landed _Nightmare_ and sensed Rakine. He walked straight on to a walkway up to where Rakine was cleaning his lightsaber, possibly from our last battle. Venison pulled the hood over his head and Rakine jumped up and sensed his arrival.

"Hello, Rakine." He snarled.

Rakine backed away and ignited his blade.

"I know that voice. Sorin." He glares and readied his lightsaber.

"Sorin," he shook his head. "You think Sorin is here now?" He pulled off his hood and revealed me to Rakine for the first time. Rakine stare in horror.

"Eyt- what happened to you?" He backed up a step. "You're a Sith?"

"What happened to me?" Sorin in my body, chuckled. "You happened to me. You severed my antlers. You got me removed from Randin. Now only anger and hate live with me. I've joined your former Master Sorin as his apprentice. I have come back to avenge my manhood. But not as Eyt. As Darth Venison." He threw his arms in the air and his cloak flew behind his back. He Force pulled both crimson lightsabers to his hands and ignited them.

"Darth Venison?" Rakine glared. "Of course only Sorin would think of a name that stupid."

"I am more powerful than you are now, Rakine. And you will submit to Lord Sorin just as I have."

Inside my body, I tried communicating with the Force to remove Sorin from my body. Sorin gasped and groaned and I regained control of myself. I deactivated my blades and watched Rakine run toward me with his blade ready. He jumped up at me and I ignited my antler-sabers, both our blades clashing against each other. I Force push him back and hold him up in the air. I spoke to him in my normal monotonous Zan-Deer voice.

"Rakine, it is true. I have submitted to Sorin. But I came here not to attack you," I notice him glance at my eyes turning brown. "I'm warning you about Sorin. You tried to help me in the Jedi Temple, but he has taken you as his puppet. He destroyed me and I was too foolish to notice it sooner. Sorin is angry with us both." I set him down and watched Rakine's eyes switch to Dark Side eyes. Sorin's voice came out of his mouth.

"Lord Venison don't be a fool. You cannot save yourself or your friend. I taught you both, and I own you both." He ran to me and I blocked each attack.

"You're a liar Sorin." I yelled at his puppet of Rakine. "You will soon control us no longer. You're influence over us will end." I know I couldn't kill Sorin here. I knew f I attacked him, Rakine would die too. I watched Rakine's eyes return to blue and I felt myself become possessed. My anger and fear rising. "Rakine- we must stop Sorin. He's too powerful." My body started numbing. "Hoth. He's hiding on Hoth. Listen to me now. I can't keep him at bay forever."

"Eyt," Rakine whispered.

"Go to Hoth. His Force is strong there. He can't possess us both. Hurry." I scream in pain and Sorin takes total control. Rakine watches my eyes change to pale white, the sign of possession.

"There's no more time Rakine. You must listen to me," Sorin smirked. "Go to Hoth and kill him."

"I won't fall for your tricks Sorin. I know you're possessing Eyt." He made a gesture pointing to his eyes then to mine. "I can see your eyes. You've taken Eyt's body as another puppet. I will stop you Sorin." He Force threw Venison into a wall and I felt Sorin get thrown out of my body. I groaned and got up, pulling my lightsabers to me and attaching them to my belt. I stood up and motioned Rakine to me.

"It's me Rakine. Look at my eyes. Look. I'm not possessed. But he will be back." I walked for the _Nightmare_. "Sorin can control both of us. But not at the same time. He's hiding on Hoth. We need to go stop him together." I stopped and watched him board my ship.

"You've become a Sith, Eyt."

"I was under heavy influence. His anger and hate consumed me and I couldn't go back. It's a large wave of negative motion that couldn't be easily explained." I sighed. "The anger was too much and I killed the chief of Randin."

"That bad?" Rakine sat down on the bed by Rooda. "And what happened to her?"

"Sorin did something. She's alive, but she's not waking up." I sat in the pilot seat. "His effects on all three of us are strong. But once he's dead, we should be fine. The possessions will stop, and Rooda will awake."

"Hoth huh?"

"You know it," I started _Zant's Nightmare_ for the Hoth system and Rakine sat by Rooda, trying to wake her.

"Darth Venison?" Rakine asked me.

"My Sith name." The ship flew up and off the landing platform. "From what I know, Eyt is gone. Now this is what's left of me." I say quietly, watching Utapau's atmosphere leave us.

"So-" Rakine looks over at me, "sorry about your antlers."

"Trust me, Sorin should be sorry. He did this to us. He split our bond as master and apprentice, when you tried to train me the ways of the Force. Now he wants us to do his dirty work. Well I've had enough."

"Why do you think I left after he trained me? He is an evil, evil man. He has mentally ruptured my Dark Side. But you," he chuckled, "you're a Zan-Deer. They're traditionally weak-minded. They usually fall for any slight trick."

I thought about all my choices. Becoming a Sith Lord, killing Tzano, attacking Rakine. All were caused by my inner anger.

"You're right about one thing, Rakine." The sails of _Zant's Nightmare_ quickly carried the ship toward Hoth. "We Zan-Deer are weak-minded. I feel like such an idiot." I slammed my forehead into the edge of the control panel of the ship and groaned weakly. I lift an ear, hearing Rooda cough, and I sat up. Rakine and I both watched as the ship was gliding across the stars, and I looked to Rooda, as she started to regain consciousness. She rubbed her eyes and looked around the _Nightmare_. We both looked at her in relief.

"She's alright." I grinned.


	12. Chapter 12

"Eyt. Rakine." Rooda sat up, walked over to us, and hugged both of us with each arm around our necks. "I'm so glad you're both okay."

"Guess his grip on all of us has stopped." Rakine sighed in relief.

I tried to manage a little smile but turned away. Rakine tapped my shoulder to get my attention.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine- It's just I worry now, if he let go of us now, it must mean he's planning something when we get to him on Hoth. Plus now that Rooda's awake. I- I haven't felt any positive emotion for a long time."

"You're happy she's alright." He chuckled.

"Well yeah. We're friends."

Rakine looked to me, then to Rooda, then he smirked jokingly.

"I see what's going on here." He chuckled and leaned back against a wall. "Lord Venison here is a little-"

"Enough, Rakine." I glared.

Rakine stopped talking but when I looked back out the window, I sensed his next motions and gestures. He looked at Rooda, he pointed at me, and made a heart with his hands, then pointing at Rooda. I could feel her emotions rising.

"So, Ven, are you sure we need to head straight to Hoth to stop Sorin?"

"The sooner the better." I watched the sails wave in space. "I can't stand the thought of his existence.

Rooda, still focused on what Rakine exposed me for, she turned to the wall.

"But on Zant, warriors are not allowed to love." She whispered and looked back at Rakine. "Eyt told me we'd both rule Zant together as its masters."

"That's just the Dark Side talking. He told you that you would both rule "together" though." He smirked at looked at the back of my head as I tried to ignore them. "He's all crazy about you, Rooda." He whispers to her. "The Force around him says it all."

I looked in the corner of my eye and stared at Rakine in slight anger and I watch Rooda nervously turn her head, trying to hide her own emotions. Suddenly Rakine laughs.

"It's all around you too Rooda. Just look at you two." He turned to me. "You remind me of little Ani before he became Lord Vader. He left his spouse, submitting to the Dark Side as the Chancellor's apprentice. His dear Padmé was heartbroken." Me and Rooda looked at each other nervously. "Until she died." I walked away from the pilot station and smacked him across the face.

"That's enough, Rakine," I said to him calmly before walking back to the pilot station. I hear Rakine mumble.

"Ven and Roo," he chuckles as he talks about us to himself. "God, I should have expected that sooner. They're both deer, they've known each other a long time. They're besties."

"Rakine?" Rooda looked at him, kindly.

"Yes?"

"Shut up." She began to glare.

"Denial won't work forever you know. You both are in over each other and the sooner you realize and accept it, the better your relationship will be."

"I said, "shut up" Rakine." She turned away and sighed when glancing back at me.

Rakine makes an "I told you" face at Rooda, then turns to me.

"So you know where he is. But why would he pick Hoth to hide on?"

"To avoid all detection for the Empire. I'm sure Palpatine is still hunting to kill him like he killed Plagueis." I looked ahead as the Hoth system came closer.

Rakine shrugged and juggled his lightsaber with his right hand.

" _Zant's Nightmare_ might not travel quickly to Hoth, but the trip is now smooth sailing, literally." I looked out at the sails connected to the antler like poles. "Lord Sorin designed the exterior for me."

Rooda stood up and sat in the seat next to me.

"So you two are going to face Sorin? What do I do?"

"You should stay here in the _Nightmare_ until its safe. I-" I looked away. Rakine was right. "I don't want anything bad to happen to you while we're gone."

"But warriors train together. Doesn't that mean anything to you? We're Zan-Deer remember?"

"I remember. But this isn't training. But I also can't return to Zant and show my face again. I killed Tzano."

"The chief?"

Rooda and I nodded.

"There's no way you can go back there." He shook his head.

Rooda looked at me, with a smile on her face.

"I really don't care about Zant anymore." She leaned her head on my shoulder. I turned to Rakine.

"When I first met you two, you were hard as nails. Now you're both softening up to each other just like-" he snaps his fingers, "-that!"

"We weren't allowed to show positive emotions on Zant." Rooda rest her head by my side and smiled. I try not to look back at her, embarrassed.

"Cute," Rakine makes a straight but stupid face.

We reached Hoth and the sails retracted back into the ship, and we landed back at the entrance of the hangar.

"Remember, this is it. After Sorin is dead, we can finally go back to Coruscant and finish your training, if that's what you want." Rakine stood up and held his lightsaber.

"Sounds like a plan." Rooda and I stand up and I grab my lightsabers. "Rooda, I want you to stay here. While we both go. We will be back in a little bit."

"What if you don't come back? He's a Sith Lord, Eyt."

"So am I." I knew I had to do something to keep her here. So I leaned over to her and gave her a small kiss. I hear Rakine drop his lightsaber in his hand and I looked back at Rooda.

"Now there's no way I'm leaving you." She stood up.

"No. I can't afford anything to happen to you. It's safe in here." I looked at her carefully. "Please stay in here."

She sighed and sat back down.

"Alright. I'll stay."

I nodded and walked out of the _Nightmare_ , watching the door close behind me. I look to Rakine, as he continues smirking.

"I knew it."

I rolled my eyes and when the door opened, we entered the base. Rakine and I walked into the main chamber of the base where we found Lord Sorin on the floor unconscious. When I threw him out of my mind, he must have actually been thrown. I walked over carefully and in an instant, he sprung up in the air over me and behind Rakine. When Rakine swung his blade behind him Sorin jumped again. I ignited all ten of my crimson blades and Sorin ran down a hallway and jumped down a few floors to the lightsaber room. Rakine and I chased after him and cornered him.

"Now my apprentices, don't be foolish." He backed away into a table. Sorin pulled a red greatsaber and a matching light-shield off the table.

"You betrayed us. You tricked us. You tried to kill us. Why should we trust you? All you ever did was lie to us and hurt us, physically, mentally, and emotionally."

I walked over to Sorin as he backflipped over the table and I jumped after him. I swung my two crimson lightsabers at him and he blocks with the greatsaber. He Force throws me aside and Rakine jumps to him and Sorin Force shoves him in a wall and starts to possess him. Rakine jumps off the wall to me and both Sorin and Rakine come to me, performing the same moves in unison. I block both of them and jump to Sorin and slash at him, losing his grip on Rakine. We both go to Sorin and Rakine jumps over him, on Sorin's other side. He turns to me and possesses me. I feel him both in me and in front of me and I watch both of him walk to Rakine. He blocks our attacks and slashes at Sorin, cutting his grip from me.

"I suggest a new strategy."

I walked closer to Sorin twirling the lightsaber in my left hand. Sorin walked over and blocked Rakine on one side and swung to me on the other side. He kicked me off into a wall and turned to Rakine, who now Force sprinted past Sorin and slashed him on the back. Sorin's black robe caught a long slash across the back, but his torso was well armored under. Sorin cackled and turned around to attack. I Force jumped over to them and rapidly swung at Sorin, barely able to block the attacks. I sliced his robe's entire right sleeve and knocked the light-shield out of his hand. He Force jumped up in the air and hovered before us, floating in the air. He slowly circled us as Rakine pulled out a blaster from his jacket pocket and fired right at Sorin's chest. The blast struck through the armor under his robe and hit his skin. Sorin started swooping down to us, swinging the greatsaber and Force pulling the light-shield to him.

"He's wearing Mandalorian armor or something," Rakine glared at Sorin.

"How can you tell that it's Mandalorian?" I asked.

"Because it's so damn strong!"

"Fools," Sorin chuckled. "This is a very pointless move."

Sorin walked slowly toward us. I Force jumped right over him and swung into his back, he turned around and backed away as I kept slashing his armor until it broke off in chunks. Sorin took off his shredded robe and revealed his black Mandalorian armor underneath, and jumped back to throw the large greatsaber at me. I sidestepped and watched the greatsaber hit the wall behind me in a large red spinning disc. Sorin Force pulled another lightsaber from a table and ignited its blade. He lunged to Rakine and both of them exchanged attacks from the other. I reached the case with my darksaber and sliced a hole in the case, reaching for the darksaber and hiding it on the back of my belt. Rakine becomes possessed and jumps straight to me and I block his blade from my chest and I Force kick him away and flip over to Sorin. He tries to sever my head and I use my antler-sabers to block the hit. I Force throw him into a wall and start Force choking the Sith Lord.

"Lord Venison-" he gags as the possessed Rakine jumps behind me and swings his blade into my antler-sabers' blades. With one hand I'm choking Sorin and with the other, I'm blocking Rakine's attacks and he kicks me into a wall, hitting my stomach against the concrete wall. I feel a sharp, hot, stabbing pain through my lower abdomen and sink down to my knees. I lose my grip on Sorin's throat. I open my cloak and see a round burn mark in my stomach. I was stabbed. I turned around and looked up at Rakine.

"Goodbye, Lord Venison." Rakine towers above me, above to finish me, until I jerk my head forward and use my antler-sabers to block again. I get up, holding my abdomen in pain, and I scream in a shrill, unholy rage. I swing recklessly to Rakine with one hand, and still holding the lightsaber, I Force throw him into the floor and stand on his chest with one foot. I hold both blades at him and at Sorin behind me. I roundhouse kick him to the floor and he lands next to Rakin.

"Get out of Rakine's body, Lord Sorin." I turn to the puppeteer and hold a blade at his neck. "NOW!" I see his white goatee melt off by the blade in my hand, and Rakine gasps under my foot. I step off him as he holds his head in pain. When I turn to Sorin, he got up and starts running out of the room and down the hall. Rakine and I chase after him and he Force pulls an army of battle droids to his side.

"Attack them, droids." He said to them before running.

"Roger roger." The droids open fire on me and Rakine. Rakine starts deflecting shots with his lightsaber and I run to a wall, run up, and perform a sideflip off the wall, igniting my lightsabers and piercing some droids. Rakine jumps to my side and we easily destroy the battle droids. We continue our pursuit for Sorin and we run up to the top floor to the entrance. We see him enter _Zant's Nightmare_ and I stop in fear.

"Rooda." I Force sprint to the ship and when I reach the door, Sorin is standing behind Rooda, holding a shoto lightsaber at her neck.

"One step and she dies. And Lord Venison, I know that's not what you want. The Force tells me everything between you two. I know you won't take a step to her. You love her. We can see it." Sorin snarls at Rooda and holds the blade at her throat. Rooda elbows Sorin in the stomach, dropping his shoto blade, and she throws him over her shoulder on his back. Rakine and I walk to him and he springs up, Force pushing Rakine into the wall of the ship and running. I chase him out into the snowy storm and he pulls the shoto to him and draws two greatsabers off his belt.

"Now, Lord Venison," he chuckled menacingly, "let's finish it here. A master, and an apprentice."

I jump to him and swing my blades, chopping one greatsaber in half by the emitter and kicking him into the snow. He jumps up and Force throws a crimson lightsaber off into the snow.

"You are not my master, and I am not your apprentice." I walk over to him and Rakine and Rooda watch me fight Sorin in the blizzard. I corner him against a cliff with my cloak's cape flowing in the wind. When I hold jumps over me and I quickly counter, pulling out my darksaber and sticking its blade through his stomach.

"One more thing, the name is Eyt." I Force throw him into the entrance of the hangar on the ground. I jump up in the air and perform a finishing stab straight through his chest, with my darksaber, under his heart. He howls in pain and when I back away from him, he stands up, the black blade still through his chest. He stumbled about clumsily and he looked at me.

"Such hate. Such anger." He smirked as I glared at him. "You are clearly a powerful Sith." He looked up at the snow and groaned in pain, he looked at the blade in his chest and slowly pulled it out. He dropped my darksaber to the ground and, while still standing up, his head droops down and his final breath fades in the frozen air. Sith Lord Sorin was dead. The tremors in the Force around him slowly began to fade.

I took my weapons back and walked into the ship, and I stop and crumble to the floor, feeling the stab of the lightsaber getting sharper and more painful. I fall to my side and blacked out, giving in to my stomach wound.


	13. Chapter 13

I woke up to a soft, gentle press on my lips and nose, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Rooda pulling her face away from me, a weak smile forming across her face. I looked at her then to Rakine, just standing up from the chair.

"Where am I?"

"We're on Polis Massa. A hospital for your wound. You blacked out and we took you to get fixed up."

"Is it over?" I asked them.

"Yes. You've been fixed up." Rakine walked over to me and pulled a blanket off my stomach. "Take a look." He removed the blanket from my stomach and showed me a big metal plate wrapped over my stomach and around my back. The pain in my body was gone after.

"When I was stabbed, what happened to my body internally?"

"You were treated very carefully and your body has been stitched up. The metal plate should protect your abdomen from further damage." Rakine zipped up my white uniform just above my metal plates up to my neck and passed me my Sith outfit.

The medical droid walked in.

"You were very lucky that none of your internal entrails were damaged. Further operation would have taken place and you would have to stay in operation longer."

Rooda nodded and helped me up on my feet.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Eyt. I know a lightsaber stab isn't easy to get through, but look at you." She stood me up straight. "Look, you're fine. It's nothing a Sith couldn't handle."

Rakine chuckled as he walked to the door.

"Your Roo was so worried about you. She was afraid you wouldn't wake up, so she gave you that kiss." She tried to hide her face from me. "And that's when you woke up and you were fully functional again." He clapped slowly. "I must say I never knew you two were that nuts for each other. I knew it but wow, you've taken it up a notch. Warriors or not, you two are stuck together like glue."

Both Rooda and I look at each other nervously and look at the floor.

"See? You're both still in denial over your feelings for each other." Rakine chuckled and walked out to the hall. "Now we should get back to Coruscant. To finish your training, if that's what you want."

"I don't know if I need anymore training. I killed Lord Sorin, remember? I think I'm good just as I am."

"Fine." He looked at the floor shaking his head. "But that was one Sith Lord. An old man. You aren't ready for anything else that is coming. He was a coward. He never fought. We were just lucky to even be alive. He stabbed you for God's sake. And you're done with training?" I felt a slight anger in him, but he cooled it down. "I don't think you're ready is all."

I thought of what he was saying. He was right. Sorin wasn't a fighter. I was lucky enough to survive his attacks. I looked down at my stomach and groaned.

"Maybe you're right. I was lucky was I?" I looked to Rooda as she slowly nodded.

"We should go."

I thought of it and made my decision.

"Let's go to Coruscant then. Hopefully the Jedi Temple is still intact. And we weren't spotted."

"Unlikely. When we fought in the streets of Coruscant from the Jedi Temple, there were crowds of people watching. Some suspicion may have grown concerning the Jedi Temple. We might now have people searching for us now."

"Perfect," I grumbled under my breath. "Anywhere else we can go to finish the training?"

"I suggest somewhere quiet and empty. Free from any suspicion." Rakine started thinking quietly. "I'd say the calm and quiet lake country on Naboo, or the sandy, desolate deserts of Tatooine."

Rooda and I looked at each other and I shook my head.

"I've had enough deserts for now. Too much memories of Randin back home. I'd say Naboo probably." I looked at Rooda.

"Naboo sounds nice. I would like to see the calm lake country." We both looked at Rakine.

"Naboo it is. Take us there for the rest of our training." We followed Rakine out of the room to the _Zant's Nightmare_ and entered. Rooda and I sat down as Rakine sat in the pilot seat to start the ship for the Naboo system.

As the ship starts, Rooda sits by me and looks at me shyly.

"I- I know we're Zan-Deer warriors, or- well- you know-"

I sighed.

"But back there, we weren't allowed to show any signs of attachment or love." She looked away embarrassedly.

"We were warriors there. Now we aren't with them." I grinned weakly as she slowly turned back to me. "Now were free to do what we want. That's why I've been training in the Force." She began to grow a smile and she leaned her head against my forearm. I felt a sense of comfort and I put my hand up on her should and held her close to my side. We sat there quietly, so quietly not a word was spoken, and as the _Zant's Nightmare_ sailed to Naboo. I see Rakine look back at us and smirk.

"Told you. I told you two you were crazy about each other."

Rooda and I looked at each other with a smile, and I shrugged at Rakine.

"Okay." I chuckled. "You were right. But only you should know about this, okay? We might not want word of this to hit Zant."

I saw Rakine rub his fingers across his lips, keep his mouth shut, and give me a thumbs up gesture, before turning back to the front to continue flying the ship.

"When we get to Naboo," Rooda looked up at me, "I hope everything there is as quiet and safe as Rakine says."

"I hope," I looked to Rakine as he nods, while deactivating the antler-sails as we neared the green planet, Naboo.

"There it is. And that's where we're landing."

He flew toward the large, empty, green pastures of the lake country. The ship reached down to the grassy plains and I thought now of what would happen. I would be trained here, but if Rakine is to teach me, would it be the Light Side, or Dark? Or both? I felt like what Sorin taught me wasn't enough. I still felt like there is so much more I can learn about all aspects of the Force. I know it sounds wrong, and greedy, but I think maybe, by learning all of the Force, I could be unstoppable. No harm could come to me or anyone else I care about. It might be the stab in my stomach, but I don't think I should be damaged or messed with anymore. I want to keep to my promise to protect people. A strong temptation swirls in my mind.

"Rakine. I can't help but wonder, if you are taking your place again as my mentor in the Force, I thought, what if you taught me all that you know. So I could learn all aspects of the Force, both Light and Dark. Would that be alright?"

He stared at me in complete confusion, rubbing his forehead.

"Mentor? Why are you asking me this now?"

"I feel like there is so much more in the Force that I can learn and if I want to keep to my wish to protect the ones I care about," I see Rooda turn and smile to me, "then by learning all of the Force, I can protect anyone. Nothing will ever harm me or anyone else anymore. It sounds wrong but it's what I want." I knelt down to Rakine once again in the grassy field of Naboo. "I ask you to teach me everything you know about the Force." I watched Rakine as he looked at me, fear starting to show itself in him.

"You're sure you want to learn everything just to protect the ones you care about? Becoming a powerful Force user in both Light and Dark?"

I nodded.

"Yes."

Rakine nodded and motioned me to stand up. He began to mention to me other tricks about the Force, and the more things he told me, the more afraid he was. He was afraid of my request to know everything about the Force. But it's for a good cause. Saving the lives of anyone who is under any oppression or attack.

"There are a great many forms of power that the Force provides to a user. The simplest is telekinesis, moving objects without directly touching them." Rakine lifted a pebble off the grass. "Like so." He sets it down in Rooda's hand. "You have already learned much about it. Other techniques test your acrobatics, your agility. Like the Force jumping and how quickly you move in combat."

"What about moves I don't know?" I asked slightly impatiently.

"Then you have your own strength in the Force. How large and heavy things are lifted by telekinesis or how strong you are in general with the Force. All three of these apply to you now, Lord Venison. But let's go to the Dark Side. Name power in the Dark Side you have earned or you know."

I am stumped. Sorin never taught me the Dark Side itself, he only mentioned it a lot.

"That lightning trick you do." I pointed to Rakine's fingertips.

"Force lightning," he nods. "It, like most Force tricks, is difficult to learn straight away. The Force mainly has three methods to learn first. The first? Control."

"Control?" I asked him.

He nodded. "Control is internal. It is the Jedi or Sith ability to recognize the Force in oneself and to use it to his or her benefit. With control, you can use the Force at a much easier method than you do now. You rely on your strength, and strength in the Force isn't a bad thing. It just needs control."

I nod, in respect to his teaching.

"Control is a vital instrument in the ways of the Force."

"Next. Sense involves the next step, in which the Jedi or Sith recognizes the Force in the universe outside themselves. It appears you've already proven efficient at that fro our earlier training back on Zant and Coruscant. But with sense you can enhance your natural senses or use the Force as a sixth sense all in its own. All the better for improving your connection to the Force."

I nod again.

"Sense."

"Alter is the third and most difficult area to master, for it involves the student's ability to modify the Force and redistribute its energies. It is mostly only trained traditionally to Jedi Knights since it is so difficult. Few people have stumbled into this area by accident, consequently some sort of disaster strikes after."

"One small thing would lead to that much trouble?" Rooda looked worriedly at me.

"Boom. Butterfly Effect." Rakine chuckled.

"What is in alter, Rakine?"

"Alter consists of pieces of a small family of tricks. Telekinesis, affecting the mind, the ability to manipulate people's minds and thinkings with the Force." Rakine chuckles. "One of my favorites." I watched Rooda shrug. "Then alter environment is the last member of this family. In it you learn many new techniques, such as animal friendships." I turn to Rooda as she lifted her hand from the grass, a ladybug on her finger. "Battle meditation, Force jumps, Force light, Force confusion, combustion, deadly sight, disabling droids, and Force lightning, however I believe you must have organic limbs." I pat my forearm with my left hand.

"Organic. Not a problem."

"Very good," Rakine nods and lays back in the grass. "Try to focus on all that I have told you. Try meditating to exercise your abilities in the Force. Remember what I taught you, and soon the Force will make everything for you-" he rolls to his side and rubs his fingers across the surface of a clean pond, "-crystal clear."

I sit down in a meditating position and focus my energy to the Force, memorizing all that Rakine has taught to me. It takes time, but I see the Force with me. I hear its whispers about everything I have learned and everything I have done. I reflect on my last horrible doings. I killed my chief, my Sith master. Here I ask for more power in the Force. But it tells me there is something about me. I can change a great many things. There is but four things in my way. The three keys, control, sense, and alter. Then the Force tells me of another one will reflect myself and my peers much later. Choice. I can keep training and become a really powerful figure in the Force. Or I can stop training now, and go to a faraway place, with Rooda, where we can be together and hide from the world and our troubles. Now my choices haunts me. I awaken back into the physical plane holding my head.

"What is the problem?" Rakine walked to me. "A vision?"

I nodded weakly.

"I have two choices." I looked at Rakine. "I can stay here to train to be a powerful Force user." I turned to Rooda. "Or Roo and I go somewhere faraway together to hide from all out troubles." She looked at me in both confusion and a slight smile on her face.

"She turned so soft since we left Zant," Rakine shrugged. "Now you two are both forming a strong pathological and physical bond. Ven, if you wish to be trained then you have to put Rooda aside and focus on what I teach you. It is a rule of the Jedi."

I looked at Rooda and she came over to me, looking at Rakine while holding my hand.

"He's not training to be a Jedi. It's just the ways of the Force. Now he can be with me whenever he wants. Nothing should stop that."

"Fine," Rakine sighed and shook his head. "You Zan-Deer are very persuasive and stubborn."

"We're known for that." I nod.

"So, Ven, for your training, do you want to begin?" Rakine asked me impatiently.

I looked at Rooda and she nods.

"Yes, we'll begin now." I stand in front of Rakine as Rooda backs up. Rakine and I stand in the flat grass field, focusing on our energy on the Force.


	14. Chapter 14

I feel the Force as I concentrate on all that Rakine has told me about the techniques of the Force. Controls, sense, and alter. I feel it all coursing through me. I keep meditating and I hear Rakine.

"You're an incredibly fast learner. You seem to actually be strong with the Force."

I opened my eyes and nod.

"The Force keeps speaking to me. It says I already know how to use the Dark Side of the Force."

"Because you're a Sith Lord?" Rooda asked me as she got closer.

"That may be it. You were trained with a formerly notorious Sith and killed him. The Force may still have a big impact on you." Rakine took a step forward to me and points with one finger to me. He shoots Force lightning and I hold up my arm, the lightning strikes my arm and I absorb the lightning in my arm. Rakine stops and I watch the lightning die down in my arm.

"How did you just do that?" Rooda walks to me and feels my arm. "And you can't even feel the lightning." She turns to Rakine. "Is that the Dark Side of the Force?"

"It must be. It's nothing I learned before." Rakine stares confused. "You have some new techniques yet, Ven." He nods in approval.

"Now can you try to shoot Force lightning?"

I hold up arm to Rakine and focus on the Dark Side of the Force. Alter. I close my eyes as concentrate very carefully. Nothing happens for ten seconds. I open my eyes and glare at my hand. I focus my anger and fear, the power of the Dark Side, to focus the Force. Nothing but a spark.

"Don't feel bad Lord Venison," Rakine pat my back. "Not everyone gets it the first try."

"Learning the Force isn't easy, for sure." I shake my head. "The lightning isn't as important as the rest of the Force techniques I wish to learn."

"But you said I wanted to learn as much of the Force as you can."

"I know. But the Force lightning can wait. For now. Let's just move on to the other techniques."

I watch Rakine as he rubs his forehead and roll his eyes.

"Alright. Try to move on to another Force technique. Try to focus on the Force itself and listen to it."

I close my eyes and I feel the Force as it speaks to me. I am reminded of my connection to the Dark Side of the Force. Everything I am capable of proving my worth as a Sith warrior. All that I need if I am to go down that path. The choice to go down that path. Do I want to finish my journey to the Dark Side or do I stop now and try to return to my former self as Eyt? I open my eyes and I shake my head.

"What is it?" Rakine asked me.

"The Force reminds me that I am slowly turning down the path of the Dark Side and finishing my transformation to the Sith."

Rakine and Rooda look at each other then back to me. I look at the grassy field under my feet.

"Isn't that what you want? To carry out a branch of the Sith legacy? To fill in Sorin's steps and rise to power?" Rakine stares at me.

"That's why you wanted to use all the Force abilities?" Rooda walks over to me and puts a hand on my shoulder. "It's okay to tell us. We're your friends, Eyt."

I keep staring at the ground and think silently.

"If I do follow the Dark Side, will we remain friends?" I look at Rakine. "You said you were a rebel."

"Against the Empire. Not the Sith." He reassured me as he sat down. "The Empire is ruled by two lords of the Sith, Lord Sidious and Lord Vader. And you are just to be a Sith. You wouldn't join the Empire would you?"

I look up slowly to Rakine.

"No. The Empire is evil. The Sith are just warriors in my opinion. If I joined the atrocities of the Empire, it would ruin our friendships."

Rakine nods.

"Well, as long as the Empire isn't involved, and decision you make is alright with us." Rooda stood by Rakine. "We will still remember you as our friend. Now, Eyt, are you sure you want to continue your path to the Dark Side?"

I think silently for a while. I have already been trained in much Dark force techniques. I have more knowledge of the Dark Side than the Light Side now. I have these permanent antler-sabers in my head as a physical bond to the Dark Side. I don't even know if I can recover from the Dark Side to return to my previous life as a rejected Zan-Deer warrior, who's pride and respect was lost in his home back on Randin. I open my eyes and look at Rakine, a tear from my eye.

"Yes, I wish to finish the path to the Dark Side as Darth Venison. I do not wish to return to my past life. And I can't go back anyway. I am physically and mentally attached to the Dark Side and I can't deny it anymore." I turn to Rooda as she wipes her eyes. "I might as well already be a Sith, and I hope it isn't a problem with any of you."

She shook her head.

"No. It isn't a problem." She put a hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes and spoke slowly. "Any choice you make is okay with me." She managed a small smile.

"See?" Rakine claps once. "Not a problem. We're here to support you. Remember I walk the Grey Side, in between. So I know what you're going through. And my knowledge of the Dark Side can compare to yours. We are both powerful, but your knowledge of the Dark Side is still much less than mine." He nodded. "Now, I hope you are ready, to finally rise as the Sith Lord, Darth Venison."

I stand straight and proud.

"I am ready, Rakine."

"Very well," he nods. "Then let the Force flow through you. You will find that the Dark Side has finished it's links to your mind and body. The path is being finished, and your are finally the Sith Lord, Darth Venison." He grins. "I hope this is what you want."

"It is," I say quietly.

Rooda stands by me and looks straight at me. "Lord Venison, no matter what you do, I will always remember your past and I will now and forever, respect you for who you are." She tried not to cry. "I hope we will still be friends and see each other again."

"Of course we will, Roo." I put one hand under her chin and she looks to me. "I will always be with you both. We are all attached to one another, mentally-" I look at Rakine as he nods, "and pathologically." Rooda hugs my body in her arms and brushes the side of her face against my chest, and looking up at me, quietly. I hold her close to me as I put my arms around her. We stand quietly and Rakine sits down on the ground.

"Well, you two want to sit down in the grass, where it's nice and peaceful here?" Rakine laid back and rest his head on his hands, closing his eyes and the sun hitting his face.

"All right," I look at Rooda and we sit down by the nearby pond, Rooda dipping her hoofed feet in the cool water and leaning her head on my shoulder.

"Lord Ven?" Rooda looks at me.

"Yes, Roo?"

"Everything between us is still the same right?"

"Of course it is," She sits closer to me as I look in front of me. "Everything is all the same." In the corner of my eye, Rooda smiles and her eyes drift ahead of her.

We stared ahead at the peaceful lake country, quietly enjoying our time here on Naboo. I turned to Rakine, he's now sleeping in the grass, leaving me and Rooda to ourselves.

"The lake country here is beautiful isn't it Roo?" I turn to her as she smiles quietly.

"I love it here. It's calm, quiet, peaceful," she chuckles a little and gently pushes me, "romantic."

I turn to her quietly.

"It is?" I try not to show any emotion and I look back forward. "I guess it is."

"It's very different than at home. Home we weren't allowed to be happy or show any connections to each other." She lowers her ears and chuckles. "But here we can express ourselves. Here we can show signs of friendship, respect, happiness," she rests her head back on my shoulder, "love."

I feel Rooda's affection running off her her and into me and I look to her again.

"Yeah."

I silently sit by her and we look at the scenery ahead of us. I think to myself as Rooda watches the calm waterfalls, the green hills and the lively plains in front of us. We stay there enjoying our time ignoring every other thing that has affected us in the past. Just enjoying our time together in the peaceful lake country of Naboo.


	15. Chapter 15

I feel the calm quiet breeze brush against my face and I lay back in the grass, Rooda laying back next to me. We stare up at the blue shy and Rakine sits up.

"You interest me, Lord Venison." He turned our way. "You are likely the first Sith Lord to be emotionally attached to another than yourself, unlike mosh Sith."

"Unlike most Sith?" Rooda asked.

"From what I've heard, they don't normally have feelings or love another person. It's mostly about them. Sith are selfish."

"Not this one," Rooda put a hand on my shoulder and shook me slightly.

"I may be a Sith but I don't have to act like one. I can still do what I want. I can be happy. I can love when I want to."

Rakine rubes the back of his head and cleared his throat.

"There's one more thin about the Sith that I should tell you." He sighed, "They call it the Rule of Two. Only two members of a Sith branch can live at once. A master, and an apprentice."

Rooda and I looked to each other, then to Rakine.

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that you can choose an apprentice, but you can't have a master at the same time." He looked at Rooda.

"But would I have to- kill you if I took an apprentice?"

"No-" he looked around nervously, "no. I am not a Sith. I'm a rebel. Grey Side." He wove his index finger at me with a chuckle. "Doesn't count. You already killed your old master on Hoth, so now you can choose an apprentice and carry on the Sith legend."

I could take someone as an apprentice, to train into the Dark Side myself. But who? I turned to Rooda, her ears raising in surprise.

"What? You want me to join you?" She looked at me confused.

"Yes, Roo," I grinned. "You may not be as Force-sensitive as we are, but," I reached my belt for Sorin's curved crimson-blade lightsabers. "You can join as a warrior."

She looked at the lightsabers and took them in her hands, carefully examining them. She attacked the pommels together into a saberstaff and began swinging it around her, a smile growing on her face. She turned to me and knelt down to me.

"I will accept," she looks up at me with a wide smile, "Lord Venison. Wherever you go, I will follow."

I grin and nod.

"Good. You may be an apprentice to me now, but you are still the same to me. You're still my fellow warrior, my best friend, my crush. Apprentice is just another word. We still remain loyal to each other?" I suddenly thought about my offer to her. Have I gone too far to take Rooda, a fellow warrior, as an apprentice?

She nodded.

"I have always been, and always will be forever loyal to you. Even as Eyt back on Zant, I was always loyal to you." She stood up. "I love these weapons much more than the old lightspear forged on Zant. These are more useful." She bowed down to me in respect.

Rakine came up behind me.

"She might want to do something about her outfit. I don't think two leather straps and a loincloth is going to last long."

"What do you mean it "won't last long"?" Rooda came over to him.

"It's not intimidating is it? It's meant to allow for free movement of the body when in combat."

"I understand Roo, it's just, you got to pick something better to wear.i don't see you fighting in that working well." Rakine paced and thought for a moment. "We need to find you a new outfit."

"I'll decide what I'll wear." Rooda looked at Rakine annoyed. She then looked down at her outfit and sighed. "It is getting annoying though."

"What do you suggest to wear?" I looked at her curiously. "You want a new outfit?"

She nodded.

"Then we'll get you something."

She thought for a moment.

"I'd prefer an outfit to allow for free movement of the body, but to cover it up more. Maybe one piece over my torso and abdomen."

"A simple suit," Rakine nodded. "I don't know where we can get one of those."

"I'll make it," Rooda replied. "We Zan-Deer make our own clothing. I just need two things. Leather and black dye."

We nodded.

"We'll get those things then, but we might have to steal for some of it." I thought of the black dye used on Zant. "We should go back to Zant for the dye and the leather."

"Ven, are you sure a or going back to Zant?" Rooda looked at me. "You said you never wanted to return there."

"I know what I said." I sighed. "But even some promises are meant to be broken." I looked to the Zant's Nightmare. "We're going to Zant."

I walked to the ship and looked back at Rooda and Rakine, following. I entered and sat in the pilot seat while the two sat in the back. The ship started, taking off the grassy fields of Naboo, and we headed back to Zant. Some bitter feeling of regret began to grow the further away from Naboo we got, and the closer we got to Zant. I felt Rooda and Rakine, a sense of worry growing in both. Is Zant really where we need to be? The large antler-sails popped out of the top of the Nightmare as it sped up through space to the Zant system in the western outer rim.

"I sure hope this is a good idea. The Zan-Deer might start a riot against us." I sighed quietly. "I don't think they like me anymore."

"They're primitives, Ven," Rakine stood up. "You can easily wipe them out."

"But they're still our kind. We can't just commit a mass murder." Rooda looked at Rakine.

"But Chief Tzano?" He asked.

"He had it coming," I muttered. "He got me removed from the Zan-Deer Warriors."

Rakine rolled his eyes.

"Remember we're just after a black dye and leather. Where do you get these materials anyway?"

"Spiders. The venom of the desert spiders are used to make black dye and their soft "leathery" skin is used to make clothing."

"How big are these spiders?"

"You can wear their skull on your head as a mask." I answered.

"Large," He nodded quietly.

The _Zant's Nightmare_ sailed to the Zant system and we approached Zant, the sails of the ship retracting back into the walls. We reached the atmosphere and landed near the butte where Rooda and I hunted the morning at the beginning, before Rakine came. Rooda and I took our lightsabers and looked back at Rakine.

"Their bites are so venomous, that your whole limbs will swell up, lose all blood, shrivel up, and die. So be careful when hunting them down." I warned Rakine about the spiders. "And they're known as "ticking desert spiders" because of the noise they make in the dark. They should be easy to spot." We stepped out into the dark caves of the butte, Rooda raising her ears and listening cautiously. Rakine and I used the Force to locate the spiders around us. The spiders glowed bright blue, through the Force, and Rakine and I started jumping up and slashing at them. Rooda began swinging the two crimson blades at the ground level and all the ticking sounds slowly died down. We picked up as much spider corpses as we could and began extracting venom from the long fangs. Rooda slowly and carefully ripped the leathery skin off the legs and thorax of the spiders and began taking off the layers into soft layers of cloth. Rakine watched us as I ground the spider venom with a rock into a soft black liquid substance.

"Here's the dye, Roo. Do you want your leathery outfit dyed?" I looked to her as she pulled a long black string from one of her chest straps and began stitching up the cloth into a one piece suit with the long string, to cover her main body. She nodded and I rubbed the outfit with the dye. We watched as it dried instantly on the soft spider skin. Within seconds the soft skin cloth was blackened.

"So that's how you make cloth on Zant?" Rakine watches Rooda finish stitching up a soft, perfect, black suit. She motions me and Rakine to turn around. We nod and turn our backs to her to give her privacy to change. We hear her groan as she pulls the tight straps from her chest and activate a lightsaber to cut the straps off. She takes a deep breath and I hear the blade cut a hole in the black suit. I hear the knots in her loincloth untying and she slips her legs through the bottom of the black suit. She pulls the black suit up her back and breasts and sticks her arms through the shoulder holes. She clears her throat.

"You can look now." She stands up and sighs. "It's a lot better than the loincloth. With this I can actually breathe." She hugs herself, wrapping her arms over her body. "And it's really soft too." She turns around and I see the hole in the lower back, just above her rear, where her tail sticks out of the suit.

"That looks better, doesn't it, Ven?" Rakine turns to me.

"It does." I nodded. "More intimidating in black." I watch Rooda grin and take off the belt from my outfit and put it around her waist to attach her curved lightsabers to it. I never really needed it. I always held my darksaber into my hand. I watch Rooda slice the head off the spider and carve out its insides, hollowing its head. She then dyed the outer shell of the spider's severed head black and wore the exoskeleton skull on her head and over her face like a mask.

"That's creepy," I smirk. "I love it." She pulled the spider mask from her face and grinned.

"So how intimidating is it, Rakine?" She turned to him for an answer.

"It's good. It's not usually what Sith wear, but it's still good." He gave a thumbs up. "Are you sure this outfit, you'll stick with it?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"I think it looks fine." I walked over to Rooda and pat her shoulder. "We got what we came for here." I turned to Rakine. "We should get back to Naboo. I sense the people of Randin growing suspicion. They might have seen the _Zant's Nightmare_ fly through the atmosphere."

"Then we go." Rakine walked to the ship and watched as Rooda and I follow after him. We entered and sat in the back as Rakine flew the _Nightmare_ back to the Naboo system.

"Now, Roo, I know you're not as Force-sensitive as I. So the Force may not be fully strong in you. But I think we can teach you basics like telekinesis. Would that work?"

"It's all good with me master," Rooda bowed her was down to me in respect.

"Good. When we get back to Naboo, your training will begin." I looked at Rakine as he flew the ship off the desert ground. "Need I mention the Rule of Two?"

"It is a Sith tradition," he shrugged. "If you want to."

"Very well," I turned to her. "The Sith Rule of Two, a master and an apprentice, if you grow to a strong Sith Lord and pick an apprentice, then you must get rid of me. Only two Sith of the same branch may exist at once." I shrugged my shoulders. "It sounds stupid I know, but-" I looked back at Rakine, "do we have to follow that rule?"

"It's up to you. No other Sith know of your existence."

"Then, Lord Venison," she grinned, "I'll do my best to help keep you alive."

Rakine flies the _Zant's Nightmare_ through space and the large sails of the ship emerge and quickly glide the ship toward Naboo. He looks back at us.

"Are you sure that this whole Sith choice is still good for the both of you? I mean, Ven, you have brought your best friend to the Dark Side as your apprentice."

"We both agreed to it. It's a choice we both made. This is our path now. And remember, we have no loyalties tied with the Empire." But he was right. I still wondered if it was a good idea to turn Rooda in this direction.

Rakine steered the ship off course from Naboo.

"Then we should go somewhere where the Empire can't find us." The ship turned left off the track and head toward the galaxy core.

"Where are you taking us?" Rooda asked Rakine.

"To the birthplace of the Rebel Alliance. Where everyone opposes the Galactic Empire. Yavin 4."


	16. Chapter 16

Yavin was a large red planet, with four moons in orbit.

"We're landing there?" I asked.

"No. Yavin is a gas giant. You'll go straight through the surface." He pointed to a green moon. "That's where we're going. Yavin 4."

It was a jungle-covered moon. Much like Zant's jungle in appearance. Rooda and I looked to each other in worry of what will happen to us next. If the Rebel Alliance against the Empire resides here, what would happen to us?

"I'll tell them you aren't with the Empire, and maybe they'll let you in the Rebel Alliance." He sighed and the ship's sails retracted into the walls. "It's not going to be easy."

He reached Yavin 4 and flew the _Nightmare_ to an ancient pyramid, a large door opening into a secret rebel base. The ship came into the hangar to a complete stop and Rakine stood up to the door.

"Rakine Cerivian," a fellow rebel pilot walked up to him.

"Karus," he nodded.

The rebel looked at me and Rooda as we stepped out, Rooda's mask over her face and my hood over my head and my cloak covering my whole body, dragging on the floor. He pointed at us in shock.

"You brought Sith?!"

Rakine lowered Karus' arm and tried to calm him down.

"They are rebels. Opposers of the Empire. They're with me." He turned to us. "Right?"

I nodded and Rooda pulled her mask from her face, showing an emotionless face.

"These two Zan-Deer warriors have agreed to join the Rebel Alliance." Rakine walked to me. "May I present Darth Venison." He walked to Rooda. "And his new apprentice, Rooda."

We both nodded.

"You're not with the Empire?" Karus walked hesitantly to us. "You are rebelling too?"

"Yes. We have no connection to the Empire." I lifted my arms and revealed the inside of my cloak. "No Imperial relics. Just my own darksaber." I held it in my left hand.

"They were trained by myself only. Not the Empire." I nodded. "And Roo is Lord Venison's current apprentice."

Rooda nodded.

Karus started to grin under his hairy face. There was something about this pilot that speaks to me. He is a Force-sensitive person, with some knowledge of the Force itself. But he tried to conceal it from me.

"Very well," he shook our hands. "How trained are you in combat?"

"He killed Lord Sorin," Rakine pat by shoulder and walked to Rooda. "They're both excellent sword fighters too. I have seen both their skill in combat. Lord Venison is really strong in the Force, but his apprentice isn't as strong."

"Ah, the Force, a powerful ally," Karus chuckled. "All the help we can get is good enough, Rakine. I hope these two Sith will help the Rebel Alliance to dominate the Empire." Karus laughed heartily and patted Rakine's back, and the two began walking away. Karus looked back at us and motioned us to follow him. We began to walk behind them and I lowered my arms, the cloak covering my body again. Rooda pulled the mask over her face and we walked down the halls of the rebel base. When Karus opened a door to a room full of people, a female voice echoing trough the halls, we all slowly entered and she stopped talking.

"Rakine Cerivian," she smiled. "Welcome back."

"Mon Mothma," he nodded. "I have returned with two more rebels. He turned to me and Rooda. "This is Darth Venison and Rooda. They have joined the rebellion against the Empire."

"Sith? Rebels? Interesting. But how do you know that they will remain loyal to the Empire?" Mon Mothma looked at me and Rooda.

"They have no loyalty. I trained Lord Venison with much that he knows. And Rooda is his young apprentice." Rakine sat down in a chair and made himself comfortable. "All that I tell you is true."

Mon Mothma nodded and looked at us again.

"Lord Venison. Rooda." Rooda pulled her mask off her face and revealed her Zan-Deer doe face. "You two are experienced fighters?"

We nodded.

"And you are helping us?"

We nodded again and Mothma sighed in relief.

"We could use your help. Can you help us to locate the Sith of the Empire? Two of them, Lord Sidious and Lord Vader. You two and Rakine should go find this project that they are overseeing. A weapon of great power said to annihilate a single planet. We wish for you three go find it and give us any information to us about this weapon."

"What ship did you even use to get here?" Karus asked.

" _Zant's Nightmare_." I answered. "It is my own starship."

Roo looked at Rakine.

"We need to go."

Rakine sighed as he got up. Karus walked out of the room and followed us. We headed for the hall to the hangar to the _Nightmare_. The door opened and Rakine sat back in the pilot seat, starting the _Nightmare_. Karus sat in the seat next to Rakine.

"This is Lord Venison's ship?" He looked around in awe. "How come you fly it Rakine?"

"Because I know the galaxy like the back of my hand. Venison hasn't been to every system or even seen the Death Star. So I'm flying it."

Karus nodded and Rakine started the ship out of the hangar of the rebel base and flew out of the jungle of Yavin 4.

"This weapons of the Empire, this Death Star, the Sith are overseeing it?" Rooda asked Karus.

"Yes that is all true."

"And we are to find information and return it to Mon Mothma." Rakine nods his head as the sails of the _Zant's Nightmare_ branched around the sides of the ship, gliding through space.

"This is a very unique spacecraft," Karus looks around in approval. "Lord Venison built this?"

"He stole a starship from Coruscant and modeled the rest of it." Rakine replied.

"What did you say it was called?"

" _Zant's Nightmare_ ," I answered. "Named after our old home, Zant, a small outer rim system in the galactic west."

Karus nodded.

"What a surprise that it has never been heard of."

"We don't have visitors." Rooda simply said. "Hence it was never found. Rakine was the first to find it and luckily, before the Empire."

"We are the main species that lives on Zant. Zan-Deer. But my apprentice Rooda and I are the only non-primitives from Zant."

"So Zant is a primitive planet?" Karus turns back in his chair to us, interested. "What is Zant like?"

"It is a small planet, covered in three main biomes, a desert, a jungle, and a mountain tundra each taking up a large portion of the planet surface. A large river crosses between the desert and jungle, and it branches off into the mountains." Rakine opens up a small screen and shows Karus a picture of Zant and its surface.

"Intriguing," Karus nodded.

Rakine flew the ship to what looked like a large construction site in the middle of space. A metal spherical frame with multiple ships working on building a metallic outer shell and the interior area.

"That's the Death Star?" Rooda asked as she stood up and walked to the front of the ship, me getting up and following.

"It's not very intimidating." I shook my head amused.

"Because it isn't done yet," Rakine flew in closer. "Wen this is finished, who knows what it can do to many innocent systems?" The _Nightmare_ headed closer to the construction site and the sails shrank back into the walls. Rakine pulled out a holographic message and displayed the Death Star, showing it to all the rebels back at Yavin 4.

"I think I found the Sith." Roo pointed to a large pointed ship.

"Of course they would be in the Star Destroyer," Rakine carefully led the ship to an open landing area in the side of the Star Destroyer, going through an invisible barrier and landing the _Zant's Nightmare_ in the hangar.

"Now what do we do?" Karus stood up as stormtroopers paced to the ship.

I opened up the main door and walked out, my hood over my head and cloak over my body, dragging behind me. The stormtroopers cocked their guns and with the wave of my hand, multiple stormtroopers fly into the walls and onto the floor of the hangar. One shoots to me and I ignite my darksaber and perfectly deflect the shot into his armored chest. I telekinetically picked up some stormtrooper guns and handed them to Rakine and Karus.

"Ven, you can't just waltz onto a Star Destroyer and expect a warm welcome." Rakine stepped out behind me, Rooda and Karus following.

"I didn't expect a warm welcome, and I don't think Vader and Sidious are even expecting us." I deactivated my darksaber. "We should find them. Introduce ourselves and stop this Empire from growing."

I walked toward the hangar exit to the main area of the Star Destroyer. I could feel the presence of the two Sith Lords in the top of the Star Destroyer, in the command center. I walk down a hall with my darksaber ready for any attack. Stormtroopers come out of rooms and open fire on us, I deflect each shot as Rakine and Karus shoot back. Rooda watches as I Force choke the last stormtrooper and send him to his knees. I look up at security cameras and Rakine sharpshoots each camera, destroying any surveillance systems we run into. I continue to walk down the hall in hopes of stopping the construction of the Death Star, to destroy Lords Sidious and Vader, and to overthrow the Empire.


	17. Chapter 17

I reached the elevator and searched for any button to lead to the command center, where Lords Sidious and Vader oversee the construction of the Death Star. I hit a button and the elevator started to ascend as Rooda and Rakine entered and the door closed behind them. I felt the presence of the two Sith Lords grow stronger the more we went up. I'm sure they can feel us too.

"They know we're here," Rakine said with his eyes closed and rubbing his temples. "Stormtroopers are gathering at the elevator shaft, they're waiting for us."

"It's a trap," Rooda looked to me.

I felt the stormtroopers all load their weapons and cock them, Lord Vader walking to the elevator. Rakine and Rooda ignited their lightsabers and I, with my darksaber. The elevator door opened and immediately we are pelted with blaster bolts. Rakine and I deflect the shots and Rooda backs against the wall of the elevator. Rakine and I start to kill off the stormtroopers and Lord Vader ignites his lightsaber, a red blade pointing out at us. In a deep, mechanical voice, he speaks to us.

"You are either very brave or very foolish." He coughs and his helmeted head turns to Rakine. "Rakine Cerivian, the rebel." He held a hand out at Rakine and he started choking, and he threw Rakine into the back wall by Rooda. Rakine struggles to get back up and Vader simply picks him up with the Force and throws him down to the floor multiple times, before Rakine groans weakly and stops trying. Vader knocked me aside and punched Rooda in her masked face, smashing the spider's skull in a million little bony pieces, and sending Rooda to the floor.

"Weak, both of you," He scoffs at their bodies on the floor.

"Rakine!" I call out. "Rooda!"

He turns to me and Force throws me into the command center. I hit the floor and my darksaber falls from my hand. As he prepares a finishing blow, I yank the hood off my head and my antler-sabers stop his blade from killing me. I Force push him away and I stand up, Force pulling my darksaber to me. I walk over to Lord Vader, neglecting the other Force-strong being behind me, and large blasts of Force lightning hit me in the back and shoulders, I sink to the ground and watch as more stormtroopers come to drag Rakine and Roo's bodies away. I try to get up and stop the lightning and Vader comes up to me. I Force kick him back and repel the lightning. I Force throw Sidious back and he flips in the air and lands on his feet. Vader comes to me and I chance him with both our blades grinding against each other.

"Foolish animal. You are no match for us, no matter how strong you may be."

He Force kicks me into a control panel and I rebound off of it to him and our blades smack each other again. I begin to Force choke him with my left arm but as he backs away slowly and swings his darksaber at me. When I dodge the blade, cutting off my Force choke, I hold my body up with my arms and land on my legs again in a backward flip. Sidious pulls out two blades and I ready myself for the attackers. I roundhouse kick my leg to Sidious, kicking one blade out of his grasp, and with the other, he hits my leg, the side of my leg burning. I back away and Force pull his lightsaber to me. I turn to my side and repel both their blades simultaneously. I swing to Vader, then to Sidious, then Vader again, and when try both try to stab me, I Force jump in the air in a spin and dodge their crossing blades. Sidious holds a hand to me as I cling to the ceiling and Force lightning grips my body and I drop back down on my feet. I watch the lightning surround me and bounce off the metal plating on my stomach. Sidious stops shooting lightning at me and Vader swings his blade from behind me. I repel his blade, still facing Sidious, and Force throw Vader into a wall. I turn to Sidious and he cackles.

"You're strong with the Force. But don't think that will stop the Empire from rising."

He shot more lightning at me and I repel it with my black blade.

"You just don't know when to stop, do you old man?"

I Force throw him across the command center and into the window leading off to space were the Death Star is being built. He jumps back at me with a lightsaber ignited. I hold both my darksaber and his twin saber, ready. Darth Vader gets up from the wall behind me and he comes slowly to me from behind. I turn to my side with both blades pointing at each Sith Lord.

"The Empire will fall." I say to both of them.

"That's where you're wrong."

Lord Vader swung his lightsaber toward my neck and I jerk my body back, ducking under the red blade as it swoops above me. I swing back up and I jump in the air and swinging my legs, kicking both of them back. I Force pull their remaining lightsabers from their grasp and to me, I hold two lightsabers in each hand. I Force shove both of them against a wall and point all blades at them.

"Who are you?" Lord Sidious asked me.

"I am Darth Venison," I smirk. "Sith Lord of the Rebel Alliance."

I almost grow cocky and I throw Sidious' lightsabers on the ground and slice through them with my black blade, destroying them entirely. Vader kicks me back and stands up from the wall and begins to Force choke me. I feel the tight grip around my neck and I throw his lightsaber at him, it severing his left hand. He groans under that metal mask and sinks to his knees, holding his wrist. I look down at his hand and wires stick out of the wrist. Cybernetic.

"You may be able to fight us, Venison," he chuckled. "But can you save your friends?"

I stopped and looked down the hall where Rakine and Rooda were taken. I deactivated my darksaber and Force threw Vader out of my way as I bolted after my friends. I look back as Lord Sidious gets away from the wall and cackles, the two Sith Lords watching me leave.

"If he wishes both to be powerful, and have friends to protect, then he has no chance." Vader shook his head.

"Not likely," Sidious shook his head. "We're both powerful and equally good friends."

I kept running down halls and stairways after the pair of stormtroopers that carry Roo and Rakine to one room. The two are strapped up to a wall and one stormtrooper prepares a large metal instrument. The machine drew nearer and nearer to Rakine's face and he started to scream. It was torturing him. The stormtrooper stopped the machine and started asking him questions.

"Where is the rebel base?" The stormtrooper slapped Rakine across the face.

"Up your ass," Rakine smirks and the stormtrooper punches him in the jaw.

I run in the room to throw my black blade through the stormtrooper's chest and I Force throw the torture machine to the wall and it shatters. I release Rakine and Roo from the wall and I turn to a few stormtroopers open fire on us. I deflect a few shots and I ignite my antler-sabers and jump to the group of stormtroopers. With my darksaber I deflect the stormtroopers' shots and with the violent shakes of my head, my eight crimson blades slash and pierce away at them, their bodies start dropping like flies. Rakine and Roo ready their lightsabers and walk slowly to the door.

"Have you taken care of Vader?"

Vader. He convinced me to save them. But why? Was this a part of his plan? A trap?

"No." I sighed. "But we need to get out of here. We got what information we can. The Death Star is half complete." I look out the window of the room to the large metal half-dome that is the Death Star. "We need to send this back to Yavin 4."

"Wait," Rakine stepped to the window and pulled out of his pocket, a circular drawing, an incomplete sketch of the Death Star. He starts to draw in it what is the construction site of the Death Star, adding all the framework and the metal coating of the large space station. He puts his pen back in his pocket and folds up the paper, putting it in his pocket with the pen. "Now we can go."

I walked out of the torture room and saw through one door, a rack of black Sith robes. I ran in and grabbed three of them, handing two to Rooda and Rakine.

"Put these on quick. The stormtroopers are dumb, they might think we're Sith Lords too."

"You are a Sith Lord, Venison." Rakine raised an eyebrow confused.

"A rebel Sith," I put the robe over my body and stick my arms through the long wrist holes, so wide they can almost hit the floor when I lower my arms. I pull the hood over my head and watch as the others pull the hoods over their heads. I turn to an elevator to take us back to the hangar to the _Zant's Nightmare_ and the doors open, Darth Vader walking toward us.

"You rebels aren't going anywhere. I know that's all three of you so take off your pathetic disguises."

Lord Vader ignited his red blade and Rakine and Rooda backed away. I held my darksaber in my hand and Rakine sighed.

"He's much more powerful than you are."

"I fought him before, on my way to rescue you two."

I turn back to Vader and ignited my black blade. Vader Force charged to me and swung his blade to me. I repel the blade and Force push him a few feet away. I motion Roo and Rakine to go and find another way out to the hangar and they run down the hall behind me. I turn back to Vader and he Force jumps over me, blocking my path to the others. I slowly back away into the elevator as our blades clash against each other. He steps in the elevator after me and the doors close behind him, the elevator starts descending and we keep swinging at each other in the small elevator. The door opens and I backflip out and Vader swings the blade at me, I duck and my antler-saber emitters don't swoop down in time. The emitters roll on the floor and my antler-sabers, that Sorin made for me, are completely disabled. Broken.

"You amuse me Lord Venison."

Lord Vader swung to me again and I repel. He aggressively kicks his boot in my jaw and I fly back in a flip and land on my feet again, the bottom of the black robe covering my body down to the floor. I swing a poorly-timed attack and Vader lifts his red blade through my right wrist. My right hand and darksaber clutter to the ground and I hold my wrist feeling the burning sensation of pain.

"You are defenseless. Now," he pointed his red blade at me, "surrender, or die." I jumped up and Force pulled my darksaber to me with my left hand.

"I don't think so," I glared at his helmeted face.

"Fool."

He swung his red blade at me again and I turn to my side dodging the vertical swing. He swings for my feet and I jump over his blade. I swung my black blade and it grinds against the armor on his leg. He groans weakly and proceeds to walk closer, forcing me to back up. Rooda and Rakine run to the _Zant's Nightmare_ behind me and I Force kick Vader back. I turn to run to the ship and I hear the hum of his lightsaber get nearer and nearer to my left. A spinning red blade slices through my left arm at the shoulder. My severed arm and the entire left sleeve fall to the ground. I collapse to the floor of the ship and Rakine Force pulls the darksaber to him as Rooda starts the ship. The door closes as Vader slowly walks closer. The _Nightmare_ rises from the floor and Rooda flies it out of the Star Destroyer, away from the Empire. Rakine drags me against a wall and Rooda stands up from the pilot seat, Rakine taking her spot.

"Take us to Polis Massa. Now!"

Rooda ran to my body and tightly hugged it.

"Everything's going to be okay."

I nod and begin to pass out, the Force trying to keep me awake. The stinging pain in my wrist and shoulder are too much to handle and I black out on the floor, Rooda's cries for me to stay with her fading.


	18. Chapter 18

"You don't seem to stay out of trouble do you?" I heard the voice of the same medical droid that gave me the cybernetic waist. I opened my eyes and jerked up, hitting my head on the lamp above me. The droid looked at me. "Your cybernetics have been finished. Again." Roo stood up and tightly held my body, tears down my chest.

"You said you'd be careful."

"I know." I sighed. "I'm sorry." I thought of what has happened to me since I first left Zant. I lost my antlers, turned to the Dark Side, killed Chief Tzano, took Rooda as my apprentice, got stabbed, killed a Sith master, joined the Rebellion, fought with Darth Vader and lost my arm and hand. Every choice I made was bad for me, for everyone.

"I really messed up did I?" I stand up and Rooda followed me out. I put the Sith robe over my body and walked out to the hallway. "Where's Rakine?"

"He said he was going out, to clear his mind." Rooda points down a hall to a balcony. I walked down to the balcony and watched Rakine silently stand, staring off at space.

"You're up already."

"Yeah," I stand at the balcony. "What are you doing?"

"Thinking." He stood still and I rest my arms on the balcony and leaned forward.

"Of what?"

"Of you. Everything that happened to you since I took you to Coruscant." He opened his eyes and kept staring ahead. "You lost your antlers, your respect, power, your arm and hand. You lost a great many things and it is all my fault. I only meant to train you in the Force but you have fallen down a dark path."

"I did many bad things." I look at him in my peripheral. "I killed the chief and Sorin. I lost many parts of my body, I turned to the Dark Side, I now stand as Darth Venison. I'm half machine." I sigh and we stand silently. We stare at the peaceful space but know that peace doesn't exist in the Empire.

"It's not your fault. It's mine. If I didn't agree to join you, if I stayed on Zant and continued the cycle. If Rooda and I stayed home, none of this would have happened." I close my eyes and rest my head on my metallic arm. "Who would have thought one small choice would lead to such a big disaster?"

"Boom," Rakine chuckled weakly. "Butterfly Effect."

I stare at space in front of me and I think long about what to do next.

"I think we should return to Yavin 4, give them the information we have, I'll take on the Sith again-"

"No." Rakine looked at me. "You are not strong enough to face ten again. And if you aren't strong enough, neither am I."

"Are you kidding me? You're Rakine Cerivian, the rebel. You walk the Grey Path and are trained in all the Force's aspects. You even shoot lightning." I gently punch his shoulder and chuckle.

"Yeah. Maybe. But what if I can't do it? What if I can't face them?"

"Don't be afraid, Rakine. Fear is the path to the Dark Side."

"I'm not afraid. I'm outmatched."

We continued to look ahead and only think of what we could do.

"We return to Yavin 4 to give them the information, then we go to Coruscant to get your ship back?"

"That's agreeable." He nodded. "But after I get my ship back, what happens to you and Roo?"

"I don't know. We might just live alone and remain hidden from the Empire forever." I looked at my cybernetic arm and hand, and I felt my broken antler-sabers, all eight lightsabers cut off the fan-shaped hunks of metal in my head, permanently scarring my head. I put my black hood over my head and stared at space.

"Maybe back to Zant. Back to Randin, to try and maintain peace and fix what I've done there."

"You could do that." Rakine sighed.

Rooda came out and stood by my side and stared ahead.

"We're going back to Zant? But what if they exile us from there? After all the misfortune brought to Randin."

I nodded.

"If they dishonor us, I am to blame. I caused everything that has brought us this far. I caused all the trouble that we have faced. I deserve dishonor now." I lower my head in shame of my actions and Rooda rests her head at my shoulder.

"But if all this had never happened, I probably would never have fallen for-" she mumbles. "You brought happiness to my life after we left. You freed us from that same dreadful cycle. The one you mentioned before. If it weren't for Rakine landing on Zant or you agreeing for us to join him, we might have never gotten this close together." She smiled and lowered her ears submissively. "Some good came out of this after all." She chuckled. "And I will always stand as your apprentice, no matter what happens now, the Force will always be strong with you. You just have to accept it and remember what had happened."

Rooda and I silently stand at the balcony and Rakine stands straight.

"We should start going. To Coruscant to get my ship. I'll go back to Yavin 4 and you two can start your own adventure. That sound alright to you?"

We nodded and went to the _Zant's Nightmare_ to finish the final step in our journey.

I sat in the pilot seat and headed back to Coruscant, hearing the sails of the ship whir as we sped through the galaxy. I felt the deepest regrets for everything I have caused and Rakine could sense it.

"Try to let go of what happened. Trying to cling to it leads to disaster."

"I know." But I couldn't let go. I am too guilty for my doings.

 _Zant's Nightmare_ reached Coruscant and the sails died down into the ship's walls. The ship went down to the Jedi Temple, where we left Rakine's ship parked just outside, on a landing platform. We stopped the ship midair and looked down at the swarm of stormtroopers surrounding Rakine's ship. He opened the door and dropped down on top of the ship. Immediately blaster bolts surround him and he moves so fast, his red blade circles around the ship in a furious whirlwind. several bolts fly off in numerous directions and when he stopped spinning recklessly, every stormtrooper on the platform was sliced into chunks. Dead. He opened the door of the ship and stepped inside, the engine starting. I flew a distance away to let his ship rose up in the air. Both our doors open and he throws a small metal object at Roo. She catches it and activates it, Rakine activates his and a small holographic figure of Rakine emerged on the piece.

"These holograms we will use to communicate if ever we are separated." Rakine saluted to us. "I am going back to Yavin 4 to give them the information they needed. You two can go back to Zant and try to bring peace to your village, Randin."

Rooda nodded.

"We will."

The hologram shrank down and the circle turned off. I flew up out if the atmosphere to the Zant system. Roo watched as Rakine's ship fly in the opposite direction to the Yavin system. I activated the ship's sails and I felt something dark inside. I thought about Darth Vader and what he did to me. The Empire is still standing and I wish I could do something to stop it. But I can't. I'm not that strong.

The ship flew to Zant and I fly it down to the desert, where our former home lay. Randin Village. I flew down through the atmosphere and where Randin should be, I found pillars of smoke. Smoke that flew all the way up to the atmosphere. The Nightmare landed on the outskirts of Randin and Rooda and I both stared in horror as large pillars of smoke and fire emanated from the entire village. Other than the crackles of fire, the desert was silent. Randin was completely obliterated, buried in ashes and destroyed house rubble everywhere. We looked around for survivors. I entered the remains of my hut which I lived as a fawn. My own mother's dead body lay back in a chair with blaster bolt shots fired through her chest and stomach, especially killing an unborn fawn. I look down at my deceased family and felt my fury and my grief spark within me. I walk out, my head lowered in grief and Rooda gazes on at all the dead Zan-Deer bodies scattered around the village ruins. Everyone we knew, all the farmers, all the stags, does, and fawns, all the Zan-Deer of Randin Village were dead.

Rooda sinks to her knees overwhelmed by the massive grief of this loss. She hides her face in her hands and cries to herself. I sit down by her and rub her back.

"Why, Ven? Why did they have to do this?" She looked up and her tears slide down her cheeks.

"The Empire did this. I recognize the blaster shots." I stand up in an unholy mix of rage and hate as I storm to the ship and start it. Rooda runs in after me and wipes her tears away, anger rising in her. Not just anger. A vow of vengeance. Now she hates the Empire as I do. As I start the ship Rooda loses it.

"We are going to take that Empire and kill all of them. For Randin." She started to cry again and started screaming in anger, throwing an arm and sending a metal crate through the air. I immediately turned around as the ship took off the ground.

"Did you just do that?" I look at her as she stares at the crate.

"I- did. But I didn't even touch it." She turns to me.

"The Force." I stood up. "You have built a bond with the Force through your anger." I look at her in amazement and the ship flies out of Zant's atmosphere, activating the sails and heading back to the Naboo system. Roo sat down in a chair and kept looking at me.

The Empire has found Zant and destroyed the one thing I once swore to protect. Chaos has stuck the primitive planet and destroyed what we cared about. Now Roo and I can both agree to avenge the lives lost in Randin.

"I just had to kill the chief and let the village crumble," I aggressively smack the palm of my three-fingered hand to my forehead. "I'm such an idiot."

The Nightmare has continued it's course and Rooda activates the holographic communicator. The hologram of Rakine appears.

"Rakine."

"What news do you have? Why are you not back home on Zant?"

"We don't have a home on Zant," she wiped her eyes. "Randin Village is all gone. Everybody's dead. We just left Zant."

"I-" Rakine stands immobile, puzzled about the situation. "I'm so sorry." He lowers his head in respect. "But what will you do now, if you're home is gone? And who could have done this-" he stops and scratches his head.

"The Empire. They know Zant exists. They knew that was our home. They knew it would affect us. They thought the Zan-Deer were rebels too I think." I glare through the windshield. "But were about to show how much both our home planet Zant and the rebellion against the Empire mean to us."

"You don't mean that, do you? You just escaped the Empire. You fought them already and you're going back?" He shouts. "This is insane!"

"We're not going to the Star Destroyer. We're going back to Yavin 4. We have nowhere else where we belong. We are now loyal to the Reel Alliance. The Empire will pay for everything they've done. Killed most of the Jedi Order. Eliminated innocent Zan-Deer people. Building a Death Star to destroy entire systems. Everything they've done is an act of evil."

Rakine nodded.

"Well they are egotistical twits just trying to dominate the whole galaxy. And we of the Rebel Alliance plan to stop them and bring peace to the galaxy and restore the Old Republic." He turned to his side and looked back at us. "You say you're coming back here to help the Alliance?"

Rooda and I nod.

"We're already here." I deactivate the sails of the ship and flew it down to the jungle moon. When I spot the rebel base, disguised as a pyramid, the doors open and I land the _Nightmare_ in the ship hangar. Rooda and I get up and open the door, to be welcomed back by Mon Mothma herself.

"Lord Venison she respectfully bows and walks us to the council chamber where Rakine has waited for us.

"Well that was fast." Rakine turned to us and leaned against a wall. We all looked at each other and realized something wrong.

"Where's Captain Karus?" Mon Mothma looks at us. "Didn't he go with you to the Death Star?"

"Oh my God," Rakine stood up. "He did come with us, but we got separated."

"We need to go and get him." Roo looked at Mon Mothma.

"If he isn't already captured or killed," she looked at us all in disappointment.

"I'll go get him." I raised my hand. "I fought the Sith Lords myself. I can go find and rescue Karus."

"You lost your hands and an arm." Roo looked at my cybernetic hands and left arm.

"Vader was just lucky to even hit me." I walk back to the door. "Trust me, I'll be fine." I walk out the door and I hear Rakine mumble as I turn the corner.

"Why do I have a weird feeling like I'm not going to see him again?"

Roo steps out to the hall and looks at me.

"Stay here Roo. It's safe here." I continue walking. "I'll be okay."

"That's what you said before Sorin stabbed you." He lowered her head and walked back in the room. I walked back into the hangar to the _Zant's Nightmare_ and I open my hologram, an image of Karus appears. He looks different. He has a swollen eye and is covered in blood and bruises.

"Captain Karus."

"Lord Ven-" he coughs out blood, spilling onto his lower lip and bearded chin.

"Don't worry Karus. I'm coming back there to get you." I think quietly then ask curiously. "How did you manage to get separated from the group in the first place?"

"You took the elevator and I stayed behind to guard the ship. I'm surprised that you didn't see me. Or feel me-" he muttered.

He rubbed his bloody forehead, wiping his brown hair over his ear. "But they found and caught me. Started interrogating me. Beating me. I wouldn't give away the rebel base. They plan to kill me." He wipes blood off his lips and it stains his uniform.

"I know. I'm so sorry that we never found you in there." I run in my ship, start the engine and start to fly the _Nightmare_ out of the hangar. "Just hang on Karus. I'm coming for you."

"You must hurry-" A stormtrooper comes from behind him and clubs him over the head with the back of a gun. Karus falls to the floor dropping the hologram. Two more drag his body away and the hologram dies down. I turn off my hologram and fly the ship out to the atmosphere, starting the sails. I prepare my darksaber in my metallic left hand for the rescue mission.

"I'm coming Captain Karus." The ship flies through the black of space to the Empire's core, in search of the lost rebel captain.


	19. Chapter 19

"Why?" I asked myself as I landed the _Zant's Nightmare_ in the hangar of the Star Destroyer. "Why did I have to cause all this?"

I stood up from the pilot seat and held my darksaber firmly in my metallic hands. I still felt the presence of the Sith Lords overseeing the construction of the Death Star. I left the hangar and started to search the main area for any signs of Karus. Few bloodstains are visible on the floors, a long smear as if he was dragged down the halls. I started following the trail, picking up a strong scent of him the closer I got.

"Halt," three stormtroopers load their weapons and aim to me.

"Hiya, fellas," I simply nod.

I've had enough of the Empire and their armies. I slowly walk to them and they open fire on me. I move only my left hand, holding the darksaber, and start deflecting the shots, watching as singe marks landed in the walls. I Force throw one against the wall and he clumsily falls to the floor. I slice through the other's gun, leaving him defenseless. I stab another through his armored chest, watching him collapse. The third one shoots at me and I jump over both the shot and the stormtrooper, performing a flip in the air and slicing his armored helmet in two with my blade. I landed on the ground behind him and turned to see him just standing still, until he slowly turns and reveals a long lightsaber gash down the front of his face and the top of his head. He tries to raise his gun at me but in a second he falls to the floor dead. The last stormtrooper, whom I threw into the wall, gets up as I walk away and he shoots at me. I swing my black blade over my shoulder and the shot deflects back into his torso. I don't bother to look at their bodies as I proceeded to walk down the halls following the blood trail Karus left. But the blood trail soon stopped. Another stormtrooper comes around a corner and raises his gun, and I Force pull the gun to me and throw it over my shoulder. I pick up the stormtrooper by its head with one hand, possibly breaking his neck with the amount of Force I used. I then use the long, sharp, metallic fingers on my other cybernetic hand to slash through his armor and make two long scratches across the skin on his chest. I throw his corpse against the wall and he hits the floor below. I look at the gashes on his chest and raise my cybernetic hands. I look at my two long, jagged, metallic fingers and thumb, and make small gestures like a fist. I look back up at the hall and smirk. I know at least I have my cybernetic hands as weapons.

I continued to track down Karus down the halls of the Star Destroyer. I reached an elevator and opened the door, feeling Karus' presence. I felt his presence in the Force grow stronger the closer I got to him, but I worried that the Sith Lords could feel both of us. I had returned to them and they don't seem to care. It's like they're letting me take Karus back.

"Karus?" I called as I walked into a room, feeling him inside.

He was floating in a prison cell awaiting interrogation. I walked over to him slowly and held my hand out with the Force to deactivate the shackles on his ankles and wrists. His body falls limp and I catch him before he hit the floor. I got him up on his feet.

"Karus, are you alright?"

He nodded and brushed his long, scraggly brown hair from his face.

"We must hurry. They plan to kill me, and I have found out more of the Empire's plans." He pulled out his hologram and a virtual image of a large gray sphere with a crater in the side.

"Is that-"

"That is the Death Star completed." He points at the crater shape. "This is a large space cannon, where a massive beam can shoot out and destroy an entire planet." He put the hologram away and walked to the exit. "We have no time to waste. The Rebel Alliance will have great interest in this." I followed him out of the prison room and headed to the elevator. I motioned him to follow me as he wipes the dried blood on his whole forehead and lower face. He stepped in and I push the button to the lower floor to the hangar.

"I was lucky to find you still alive," I looked at Karus.

"How did you find me, other than my blood trail?"

"I felt your presence."

I turned to the hall the elevator door opened. I walked Karus down the halls to the hangar but as I turned the corner, we were greeted by multiple stormtroopers.

"I'm sorry, this is a dead end," the stormtrooper in the front says as he lifts his gun. I ignite my darksaber.

"You know I can kill all of you in a matter of seconds, right?"

I give the stormtroopers a cocky grin as Karus hides around the corner, having lost his rebel blaster. A stormtrooper fires at me and I swing my blade, sending the blaster bolt into the wall. The stormtroopers start to open fire and I Force throw the one in the front, knocking a bunch of them down. I run through the hall slashing away at the stormtroopers as I pass them. I motions Karus to follow and he takes two blasters from some dead stormtroopers. I throw my darksaber like a spear through one of the stormtroopers at the far end of the hall and Karus hides backs behind a wall. I run to a wall and start running up the side and jumping off in a midair cartwheel, dodging many of the blaster shots. I land on the floor and Force pull a blaster and my darksaber back to me and start cutting the most of them down. Karus comes out from behind the wall and starts simultaneously running and shooting at any remaining stormtroopers. As I swing my blade through the neck of the last stormtrooper, decapitating him, Karus spins the blasters on his fingers and straps them on his belt, I deactivate my darksaber and continue walking. I walk down the hall to the hangar and I motion Karus to the _Zant's Nightmare_ and I feel the presence of Lord Vader coming our way. I ignite my darksaber.

"He's not going to sever me anymore." I walk back out of the hangar down the opposite side of the hall. A door opened and Vader walked to me igniting his lightsaber.

"You don't know when to stop do you?" He cracked the knuckles of his cybernetic hand and kept walking to me.

I turn to the _Nightmare_ and Karus steps in and sits in the pilot seat.

"I don't have the time for this Vader," I take a step back to the hangar door.

"Very well."

He lifted his arm with the blade, "Then I will make quick use of you." He swings at me and I hold my black blade to deflect his attack. I Force shove him back and I turn to the door, deactivating my darksaber. I immediately stop myself and remember what happened last time. He literally disarmed me the last time I ran. I back away from the door and look back at Lord Vader.

"No," I muttered. "No more running." I

ignited my blade again and Force charged to him. I recklessly swing at him, now managing to control my anger. I roundhouse kick his arm holding his lightsaber to the side and I stick my black blade through his stomach. He groans in pain and sinks to his knees, slowly pulling my darksaber out of his abdomen and throwing it to the side, next to his lightsaber. He stands back up and Force pulls both of them to him.

"Alright," he groans under his helmet, "alright. Let us find out where this goes."

He walks slowly over to me and I back down the hallway. He Force charges to me and I quickly sidestep and perform a somersault under a swinging blade, and I jump up behind him slashing my metal claw-like fingers across his back, shredding his cape and damaging the armor on his back. He turns and steps back each time I slash his armor with my claws. He takes his black cape off and Force throws me down the hall, I catch myself on my feet when I hit the wall and rebound off, Force yanking my darksaber from his grasp and into my own. I walk back to him and twirl the darksaber in one hand, and Force pushing him back with the other. I Force jump over him and kick him in the back, knocking him away. He turns back to me and I slash at his chest armor with my black blade. He starts wheezing and holds his chest, pushing a few buttons and mechanical whizzing sounded in his helmet, and his wheezing slowly subsided. He moaned quietly and recklessly swung his lightsaber at me, I just manage to repel the blade's attacks. Our blades grind and clash against each other, many sparks flying with each hit. I Force jump back as he pulls my darksaber to him and throws it on the floor. With one swing he slices through my darksaber, destroying it, sending shards of metal across the floor. I Force pull the black color Crystal to my hand and hold it between my metal fingers. Vader starts to walk toward me swinging his blade. I can only dodge his swings and jump back, landing on my hands and kicking the Sith Lord in the masked jaw. He groans under his mask as I flip back up and turn to run down the hall. I hear him get ready to throw his lightsaber at me and I stop running, turning to the side and watching the red blade spin just past me as I lean to the side. Vader runs to me and we both hold a hand up, and we both throw each other down the opposite ends of the hall. I stand up in a hurry to grab my weapons and just run back to my ship. I turn down a hall and run down a staircase as I hear his steps growing closer behind me. I keep running down a hall and quickly turn down another hall and I bolt in one room. I look around as I hear him coming down the metal stairs toward me. I run behind a wall to a small chamber, I open its door and I close it behind me. I hide in the small area with my back against the wall, I start to breathe quietly to avoid detection. He walks closer toward me as I don't move a muscle, but he knows I'm here. We're Sith Lords. He senses me already.

"Venison."

Vader opens the door and I lift my darksaber at him only for him to Force throw it against a wall and he grabs me by the sides of my head, tightening his grip with his leathery fingers. He holds his thumbs up above my face and I start to breathe heavily. I'm too caught in fear to react with the Force and his thumbs draw closer. In an instant my vision is obscured by his thumbs and I start to feel him press against my eyes. I start to scream in pain as he slowly starts to gouge my eyes out with his thumbs. I react and use my leg to Force kick him into a wall, sending him flying and releasing his grip on my head. I gasp in relief and I rub my eyes of the pain, Force grabbing my darksaber and running past Vader out of the room. I hit the control panel on my way out I hit a lock button, the door closing behind me and sealing Lord Vader in the small chamber. I bolt out of the room and head back up the stairs to the hangar to catch up with Karus at my ship. I turn back to the hangar entrance and I see all the doors in the halls opening. Wave of stormtroopers come from all the doors and immediately open fire on me.

"I hate my life." I say out loud to myself, an unamused look on my face.

I dodge their blaster shots and deflect a few, slowly walking toward the hangar door. As I pass the doorway, I turn and run to the ship deactivating my darksaber. I wave my hands as I ran closer trying to get Karus' attention.

"Start the ship! Karus!"

The stormtroopers chase after me and continue shooting, their bolts flying past me and I feel a sting in my lower calf.

"Start the ship!"

In seconds the Nightmare starts up and I quickly limp to the door as it slowly closes. Avoiding the stormtroopers' shots, I somersault under the closing metal door and I sigh in relief, starting to rub my right leg where I was shot. I cringe and Karus flies the ship out of the hangar from the Star Destroyer.

"You alright, Lord Venison?" Karus turns to mess I stand up.

"It's nothing. I lost limbs and got metal antler transplants."

Karus nodded.

"You are the toughest deer I have ever met." He chuckled. "And the bravest. Coming straight into the Empire to save me." The ship's sails grow from the walls and the ship speeds up through space.

"You're a Rebel. We have to stick together." I nod as I sit down in the chair next to him.

"I have to hank you Lord. You are a very respectable man, and you may be the strongest asset to the Alliance."

"I'm honored, Captain Karus. But maybe this isn't working for me."

"What do you mean, Ven?"

"I lost limbs to Vader, I got shot. None of my plans against the Empire have ever worked. I can't do this, Karus." I sigh and slouch in the chair. I turned to Karus as he slowly nodded his bearded head, wiping the blood off his hairy chin.

"Maybe, a few things happened. And the effects will be permanent." I nod. "But," Karus turned to me, "are you already planning to avoid detection from the Empire?"

"Avoid detection?"

"Yes. Well the Rebel base on Yavin 4 is already secret to the Galaxy-"

I nodded more and looked at him.

"The Empire doesn't know where the base is? They don't know about this?"

He shook his head.

"You'll be safe with us, Vension. If you plan to hide from the Empire, you should stay at Yavin 4 while the Rebel Alliance gathers more information on the Empire. You and your girl Rooda both-"

I rub my head.

"It would be great to hide out away from the Empire with-" I gulp, knowing how I felt for her and now I want to protect her. "Rooda."

Karus chuckles and pats my shoulder.

"So you and your apprentice, huh? You sly dog."

He chuckled, I rolled my eyes, and the ship flew back into the Yavin system. I thought quietly about staying on Yavin 4 with Rooda and Rakine.

"All right," I sit back up. "I'll stay with the Alliance in the base, Rooda and I will stay where it's safe and avoid capture."

"Good. It may be the best choice for you to stay there, if you intend to remain safe." The _Zant's Nightmare_ flew back down to Yavin 4 and the Rebel Alliance base, the doors open and the ship flies down in the hangar and lands on the ground. The ship's door opens and Karus and I stand up from the chairs and walk out, being welcomed back by Rakine and Mon Mothma.


	20. Chapter 20

Rakine walked over to Karus and helped walk him to the infirmary of the Rebel Base. Mon Mothma nodded to me in approval.

"Thank you, Lord Venison, for returning Captain Karus home to Yavin 4. You've done a very brave thing today." She walked off after Rakine and Karus.

I walked out from the hangar to the council room where Rooda sat alone in a chair in the empty room. I sat down in a chair next to her. She looked up at me and immediately hugged me, a tear of joy falling from her eye down onto my chest. She began giving me quick little kisses on my cheeks and held me tightly.

"I was so worried about you. Everyone kept saying you would die there."

I put one of my metal arms around her to pet her back.

"I'm fine. So is Karus. I saved him." I looked at her face with a small smile.

"I'm so glad you're okay." She looked at me and rubbed the side of my face affectionately.

"I have more news, Roo." I looked around then back to her. "We're staying here."

"What?"

"If we want to remain hidden from the Empire, we should stay here in the rebel base where it's safe."

"No." She stood up. "No. That's a terrible idea."

"Why? Because I got injured on both missions to the Empire?"

"And what about that Force sense thing you do? What if they're cruising the galaxy and find you here by the Force. It could expose us and the whole Rebel Alliance. We need to go where we would actually be safe."

"You're right. But where could we go? Everywhere we've been the Empire has found. Even Zant. Remember they slaughtered our whole village and killed my mother." I look down to the floor. "And the kid she carried." Anger slowly rose in me and I calmed it down, walking to the door.

"We might find some other system Ven. We should go further west into the unknown, past Zant and far away from all of the Empire."

"It might work." I nod and walk out the door with her following. I head to the infirmary and find Karus on a table getting his head iced, to cool his wounds.

"Lord Venison-" he looked up at me.

"Karus, I can't stay here. And for good reason."

"Why can't you stay here with the Rebel Alliance?"

"The Sith are strong in feeling tremors in the Force. They could cruise the galaxy and feel me here on Yavin 4. They could find us and kill the Alliance, and it would be because of me. That's why we can't stay here. We're leaving to a far off system where the Empire can't haunt us."

Rakine stood up and walked over to me.

"Do you have the holographic communicator?"

I nodded and he smirked.

"Good. We will remain in touch. For you two, if you are indeed leaving," he sincerely pat my shoulder, "I wish you the best of luck. Hopefully one day you will rise to power and help the rebel cause."

"It would be something to consider. But we're still on the top of the Empire's hitlist. It would be unwise now."

"True enough." He nodded. "Well good luck out there my friends."

Mon Mothma entered the room.

"I hear you're leaving Yavin to hide from the Sith's presence."

"Yes ma'am. It is dangerous for us to be here. That's why we must go." I held Rooda's hand. "If we stay here we could expose the Rebel Alliance. And we certainly don't want that."

"No we don't want that." Mon Mothma shook her head. "We'll we all wish you good luck on your quest for a new home. I hear Rakine had given you communication for when you leave. Hopefully you will remain in touch."

"Of course we will. Thank you all for helping us feel welcome to the Rebel Alliance, but we must be on our way." I walk out of the infirmary to the hangar and Rooda walked behind me. I turned back and saw Mon Mothma, Karus, and Rakine all waving "goodbye" to us and the doors closed behind us.

I started the _Zant's Nightmare_ and Rooda sat in the chair next to me.

"So Master, where to?"

"I don't know yet," I look to her as the ship picks up off the ground. "I think I would prefer it if you called me Eyt again. If you wish to of course. Just between you and me. I feel like my past self may still be alive inside me. Somewhere."

She nodded and hugged me a the ship left Yavin's atmosphere.

"I thought I had lost your past self forever."

"You haven't." I reassured her. "I am with you always just as I have always been."

She smiled, knowing I was being honest with her.

The _Nightmare_ flew through the empty space and the sails protruded from the walls to help glide the ship to a faraway system.

"Should we find a planet system with a terrain we are familiar to? Like a desert or a canyon?"

She nodded.

"I think it would be perfect. Empty, quiet, it would be just us alone." She looked to me and held one of my metallic hands. "And we survived the desert on Zant. How bad could this new life be?"

I nodded and managed a small smile and I turned on the holographic charts of the galaxy to find the western portion still blank and unmarked.

"Somewhere in there, where it's uncharted. A system that is not even known to exist." I kept flying the ship through the galaxy to find we were about to enter the western territory of the galaxy. We were just passing the border to the outer rim when I found a small dot at the end of one of the galaxy's spiral flares. I zoomed in on the small dot, and it appeared to be a small system beyond the outer rim. I tapped the model of the planet, and it turned out to be a vast, sand-covered desert planet. A large canyon covered the hard surface of the planet, much like a scar.

"Rooda, you still remember the old Zan-Deer language, right? I think this place is empty." I turned to her, knowing she still knew the history of the Zan-Deer. It's traditions, it's cultures, it's old languages, all of it. She knew it all.

"Ikana," she turned to me. "Ikana means "empty" in ancient Zan-Deer. Why do you ask?"

"Because that's where we'll go. That's what we'll call it. Our new home, the empty planet system, Ikana." I started typing away at the charts of the empty system, giving it it's new name. Rooda faced the front and looked on out the front window as the ship glides through space toward the edge of the galaxy. To the Ikana system.

"What other things are there we should know about the Ikana system, Eyt?" She asked me, still facing forward.

"The system has one sun, a big bright red star. There is only one planet, where we will live. And it has no moons." I turned to her as she leaned back, sighing happily as the word slipped off her tongue.

"Ikana," she grinned. "I could get used to that name."

"I'm already used to it," I chuckled as I deactivated the sails of the ship as we neared the newly discovered system. The Nightmare neared Ikana's atmosphere and as we passed through, we stared in see as the red sun set over the large desert. The sky was blood-red and the sand was shining red, reflecting the light of the sun. The sunset of Ikana was a beautiful sight and I watched Rooda as a tear fell from one eye.

"It's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

I smiled as the ship landed on the sandy floor of Ikana's surface. The door opened and we ran out onto the hot, soft sand. We looked at each other with a smile each, knowing this would be a prefect home for the two of us. We turned to the red sun as it dropped over the flat horizon, the sky turning a crimson red color. Both I us were mesmerized by the beauty of the sunset, Rooda stood by me and rested her head on my shoulder as we looked on. I put my cybernetic hand on her further shoulder and pulled her closer to me. We both stayed there, watching the red sunset, feeling the soft sand below us, knowing this was where we would live together. We were home.

I looked around as the sun set and turned to the ship.

"Rooda, we need to find a place here we can actually live."

"Yeah. We can't stay on the flat, empty desert." She walked to the ship and I followed behind her. I started the ship and flew it over the surface of Ikana until we came across a large canyon, the vast scar on the surface of the planet. I flew the ship down to the bottom where it seemed to be empty. I opened the door and looked around, igniting my darksaber, walking around cautiously. Rooda's crimson blades ignited and both our weapons served as out light in this dark canyon.

"This place reminds me of Zant already. A large, beautiful, desert and canyon paradise. But after dark, it becomes a dangerous place." Rooda chuckles and I walk slowly into a cave, prepared for any ambush.

"Keep a sharp eye. Anything could live in this cave." I walked slowly through the cave as Rooda followed behind. "Turns out Ikana isn't as empty as we thought."

We reached a large cavern in the wall of the canyon and as I looked up, three large spiders dropped from the ceiling. They were much larger in size than the tickin desert spiders on Zant, possibly a more lethal type of spider. And these ones didn't make any noise when they attacked. But they had a large striped red and black pattern over their legs and abdomens.

"These things look like trouble." Rooda looked at them in some fear.

"Yeah, no question about it." We started slashing at the spiders and all three began to fall dead in seconds. We deactivated our sabers and I pulled out the hologram to ignite the whole cavern. We were in a large, empty, underground area.

"I guess this could be our home to settle in." We kept walking around and looking at this environment. I turned to the spider corpses. "Would those be considered edible?"

"I've no idea. But that skull doesn't look very promising." I walked around the cavern, put the hologram away, and took off my entire Sith robe. I lit one end on fire with my blade and I tossed it on the ground and we watched it light the cavern. I watched as Rooda did the same with her black robe and we watched the flames grow across the black robes on the cavern floor.

I looked down, at my entire cybernetic left arm, and my cybernetic right hand to the wrist. I looked at my body to the Sith outfit that I kept since Lord Sorin's death. I still have the long cloak, ribcage-designed tunic, and the long black pants with combat boots. I felt the flat, rough edge of my antler-sabers where Darth Vader completely severed the emitters, making them completely useless. I looked to Rooda, and she still wore the soft spider leather she crafted on Zant, a bodysuit that ends at the shoulders and hips, covering her torso and abdomen.

"We might be able to survive here." I took one of the spider legs and held it above the fire, roasting it to a hot and crispy state. Rooda took a leg and held it above the fire and I sank my sharp fangs into the leg I held above the fire. I chewed on it's soft meat and finished my bite. I walked over to grab a spider fang and rip it out of its mouth. I split it open to find them empty. Rooda stared at me and I nod.

"It's safe. They shouldn't be poisonous. Look." I showed her the hollow fang, "They don't even have venom."

She nodded and took a bite from her spider leg.

"I think this will do nicely. What about you think, Roo?" I look to her and she nods. I look around the inside of the cavern. "It's big enough to house the both of us." She set her leg down and sat by me as we sat down and watches the fires. We felt them warm us in the cold of night as we stayed alone on the empty planet of Ikana together. I put my arm over her shoulder and we leaned against each other.

We knew what this place would be to us now. This would be our new home and here we would start our own lives. Away from the Empire. Away from the troubles of the galaxy.


	21. Chapter 21

Something crept up on me. Something I knew I couldn't stand to think about. If I stay here, I'd be a hermit, a lost warrior. A cowardly Sith. I have to go back.

"Rooda, if we intend to stay here as our home-" I turned to her. "I can't stay here on Ikana forever. Sometimes I will have to go and joining the Rebel Alliance's affairs against the Empire."

"What do you mean?" She looked at me, standing up.

"I don't want to hide from the galaxy forever. I don't want to follow the path of Lord Sorin. He hid from the galaxy, and I now see I'm starting to do the same thing."

"I understand." Her ears dropped submissively and pointed to the ship. "You should go then. Go help the Rebel Alliance to stop the Empire. I'll do my best to make this place look more welcoming."

I nodded.

"Alright Rooda," I gently rubbed the side of her head with my metal claws. "I promise you I will come back alive."

"I believe you-" she nodded, a tear fell from her eye.

"Have faith, Roo."

I walked toward the cave exit to the ship. I opened its door and entered the ship, closing the door behind me and taking the pilot's seat. I started the ship for the Yavin system and flew the _Nightmare_ out of Ikana Canyon, toward the night sky. Before leaving the atmosphere, I start the sails of the ship for the Yavin system, on the opposite side of the galaxy. And I think, each time I fly through space on the Zant's Nightmare, the more I realize, the sails are more efficient on cruising the galaxy than lightspeed. It may be a bit slower, but it makes the trip smooth sailing, literally. I sit back in the chair and watch the stars fly by the ship, I relax until I reach the Yavin system.

I think about how I wanted to stay out of the Empire's way but to hide like Sorin? I just can't stoop so low. That's why I'm going back. I might have Rooda back on Ikana to wait for me to come home, and I promised her I was coming home to her. I just feel like I have more that I need to do to help the rebel cause against the Empire. I don't want to be seen as a coward who hid in the farthest corner of the galaxy because of the Imperial rise to power. I want to be remembered as a warrior. A strong fighter. A daring rebel who would stop at nothing, but to help the rebellion grow. I opened my communicator and Rakine appeared.

"Lord Venison?"

"I've decided I am coing back to Yavin 4. I want to help the Rebel Alliance to rise against the Empire."

"But what about Rooda, and Ikana?"

"She's safe on Ikana. I'm just coming back because-"

"Because to want to help more. You don't want to hide beyond the outer rim and watch the possible rise against the Empire. You don't want to see them slaughter and attack innocent lives. You don't want to see them take total control over the galaxy."

Rakine brought tears to my eyes, but I mod and wipe them away.

"Yes."

"Well I'll inform them of your return to Yavin 4. You said Rooda is safe now?"

"Yes. Thats all that matters. I cant afford to lose her."

He nodded respectfully.

"You said you promised to her you'd come back alive?"

I nodded.

"Then you must come back to her alive. How do I put this? You should turn back to Ikana. You want to be safe and return to her alive, but here you join the most infamous cause against the Empire. This, you haven't thought through at all, Ven." He shook his head. "If you do intend to stay with us to help us fight the Empire, we may have to protect you as some sort of ambassador."

"No," I shook my head. "I'll be fine on my own."

"Oh, Ven," Rakine sighed. "Will there ever be a time where you will see past your arrogance?"

"No, Rakine," I shook my head again, flying the ship through the system to Yavin 4. I deactivate the sails of the ship as it flew through the atmosphere toward the Rebel base. The hangar door opened and I landed the _Nightmare_ on the floor of the hangar. I stepped out and walked to a small chamber, hoping to find Karus or Mon Mothma or even Rakine. I opened the door and found Rakine standing up from a chair and walking toward me.

"Are you sure this is what you want to do? To help stop the Empire while Rooda stay by herself on an empty desert planet while you risk your own life to help the rebellion?"

"I promised her I would come back alive. And so I will." I nodded to him and Karus came in, a forehead wrapped in bandages and holding a small wheeled table, it was covered by a cloth.

"What is this, Karus?" I asked him as he slowly pulled the cloth off the table and revealed a pair of antler-sabers. Perfectly built sabers with four emitters on each mechanical antlers. Karus pushed a button which ignited all eight blades, but they weren't red. They were black. To match my darksaber.

"Are those for me?" I point at the antler-darksabers and I watch a grin grow on Karus' face.

"Since your earlier ones were destroyed, we had these ones made to replace the prior pair."

"I like these," Karus deactivated the blades and I picked one up and held it over my head. These were bigger, more lightweight, and had longer blades than Sorin's pair. I felt the broken antler-sabers on my head.

"Can we replace these now?"

"It would be painful- are you su-"

"I've dealt with pain worse than this. I can handle a mechanical replacement."

Karus shrugged and started to work on the antler-sabers on the back of my head. He started drilling the machines on my head and pulled out the mechanical fans, the central part which attached the emitters to the main part in my head. I could slightly groan as I felt the machines pulled from my head and he began to drill the main parts which are attached to my skull. He began twisting them around and I felt the tense pressure release as he pulled the mechanical cylinder out of the back of my head. He began to drill and twist at the other one and as he pulled the second one out, I felt the pain grow in the back of my head. I looked at the new antler-darksabers and I held one of the main ports, and handed it to Karus. He slowly twisted it into place and I held in all the pain I felt. I never screamed. I held it all in. He finished twisting the new parts in and he grabbed the new emitter halves of the darksabers. He fastened it onto my head and welded the entire thing to the back of my head. I felt the new antler-sabers being attached to my head and I asked Karus.

"Is it done, now?"

"No, my Lord. We still need to finish tightening, adjusting, and welding it. If you wish it to be a permanent part of you-"

"I do. Nothing would please me more than to have my new weapons finished becoming a part of me."

He nodded and kept to his work, fastening the antlers, tightening their grip on my head. I felt this change becoming more and more permanent, and I couldn't help but to give a sadistic grin at my own pain, as they are welded to my skull and head.

"It is done, Venison," Karus backed away and I stood up, feeling the lightweight metal darksabers now attached to my head, I felt the new upgrade and I looked at Karus with a sadistic grin, I laughed at my own pain.

"Thank you, Karus. Now I hope these upgrades are indestructible?"

"We tried our best to prevent any damage to come to them. So we added a shielding system to protect the emitters and antlers themselves. Nothing should break through the barrier and destroy them. That being said, they are indestructible. You wear our most advanced technology of our time. A lightsaber weapon that cannot be damaged or destroyed."

I felt them and I chuckled.

"This is a wonderful addition. Thank you Karus." I ignited my new antler-sabers and the black blades stretched out, four feet long each. Rakine ignited his red lightsaber and struck at the emitters then the machine. The antler base repelled his attacks and he chuckled.

"See? They cannot be broken."

I chuckled and deactivated my darksabers, and the shield turned off as well.

"The shields are only activated when the blades are. So keep that in mind, when your blades are out, your antler-sabers are indestructible. But when turned off, they are a tad vulnerable."

I nodded and headed to the door of the small chamber, Mon Mothma entering, stopping me in my place.

"I hope you like your upgraded weapons, Lord Venison. We have made our best effort to make a weapon you were familiar with, and that couldn't be damaged, so you could keep this power with you."

I nodded in respect.

"Thank you for these. They are truly a great advantage." I turn to Rakine and Karus. "I think these will help greatly, for any mission against the Empire."

Mon Mothma nodded.

"Now, Rakine has told us that you and your young apprentice have found a safe place for you to retreat to. A corner of the galaxy so to speak."

I nodded.

"Rooda and I have discovered it as an empty system. So we have named it after our word for "empty". We have officially named it the Ikana system."

She nodded.

"We will make not of this newly discovered system. In the mean time, we are planning what our next mission against the Empire would be. Would you mind to join us in the next council, Lord Venison?"

"I wouldn't mind at all." I turned to Rakine and Karus as they stood up, and the three of us followed Mon Mothma to the main council chamber of the rebel base.


	22. Chapter 22

"Word is going around that the Empire has sent an Inquisitor to the galactic northwest to help the Empire liberate lone systems. We have confirmed that this Inquisitor has been located in the Kommaden system, an outer rim territory." One of the council members speaks over the rebels in the council chamber and as Mon Mothma, Karus, Rakine, and myself enter, he acknowledges our presence.

"Councillor Camaan," Mon Mothma nodded and walked to her chair in the council chamber. "It is true, that an Imperial Inquisitor is going around and liberating systems to the Empire's will." Many of the rebels gasp and some shout angrily. Karus, Rakine, and I sit down in the back of the council chamber as Mon Mothma continues.

"This Inquisitor has been sighted in the Kommaden system, true. What we will do about this-" she turned to me and Rakine. "Rakine Cerivian. Darth Venison. You two will go to the Kommaden system, to stop the Inquisitor. You will be accompanied by Captain Karus as well."

"You want us to chase after this Inquisitor?" Rakine stood up. "He could kill us all." Some rebels continued to shout at the council.

"I have faith, rebels." Mon raised a hand in the air as she stood up. "I believe that if you can take this Inquisitor, then we should have less worries now. The Empire relies on Inquisitors to liberate areas of the galaxy."

"But if we fail?" Rakine asked her.

"We must not fail. If we fail, then we may never grow another opportunity like this again. Lord Venison-" she turns to me and I stand up. "Lord Venison serves the Rebel Alliance as a fighter. He is the Dark Knight of the Rebel Alliance. He may help us to rise against the Empire."

I looked around as the rebels applauded after Mon Mothma finished talking. And they all turned to me, in respect. Im caught thinking of my past life as the warrior on Zant. I was feared, I was intimidated. I was respected. And now here I'm getting all that back. The rebels respect me, and Karus is intimidated by me. The Empire might fear me and even be intimidated by me. I turn to the door and I motion Rakine and Karus to follow me.

"We are going to the Kommaden system, to stop this Inquisitor."

"Ven-" Rakine looked at me with worry. "You may have fought and killed Lord Sorin, you got in multiple fights with Darth Vader himself and luckily survived. What makes you think you have a chance against an Imperial Inquisitor?!"

"There's three of us to take care of this guy." Karus chuckled and held his big gun in his hand. I walked out to the ship and opened the door, Karus and Rakine following after me. Rakine took the pilot seat and Karus and I took the seats next to him. The ship started off the ground and out of the base away from Yavin 4.

"Do you know where the Kommaden system is?" Karus turned to Rakine.

"I've been around the galaxy many times. Especially the outer rim. I can find the Kommaden system easily." Rakine flew the ship out of the atmosphere and activated the ship's sails, flying to the galaxy's outer rim. Karus laid back in his chair and rubbed his bandaged head.

"So this Inquisitor, do you think he will be like the others? With spinny blades?"

Rakine shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know yet. But we'll find out when we get to Kommaden." The ship sailed smoothly through space to the Kommaden system and I looked at my darksaber and felt my new antler-sabers attached to my head.

"Whatever it is, we'll be ready for it." I sat back and Rakine shut off the ship's sails.

"We are nearing the Kommaden system. Brace yourself for any Imperial attack as we land there." He pointed to a small grey planet and upon further inspection, it bears resemblance to Coruscant, with a big, bustling city. But instead of skyscrapers, solid metal towers stretch from the surface of Kommaden and large metal beams connect each of the towers.

"It's like a giant mass of beams." Rakine nodded and pointed down to the planet's surface. "The cities are down there. These beam towers are an advanced architecture. Nobody else knows what these were for, and some Kommaden civilians say that these towers already existed when they first settled here on the planet."

Karus and I looked around in awe as the large towers and beams dominated the skylines on Kommaden.

"Where should we go if we were to look for an Inquisitor?" Karus asked as he stood up from his chair.

"Should we try the cities on the surface first?" I look out the window to the surface below.

"Then we might as well start there. He could be talking to the rulers of Kommaden to surrender to the Empire and join them." Rakine flew the ship down to the nearest city on the surface. The door opened and we walked out, feeling the cold air of Kommaden hit us. A Kommadenian figure walks up to us, a tall, blue skinned being with long limbs and a long neck walks over to us. He looked at us with bright yellow eyes.

"Where can we find an Inquisitor on Kommaden?" Karus asked the being.

"There is no Inquisitor, or war, unless you brought it with you?" He bent down to Karus and looked at him curiously.

"We heard that the Empire has sent an Inquisitor to Kommaden to liberate you all and make you join the Empire."

He nodded.

"Oh yes. That Inquisitor. He has gone to the Senate of Kommaden to negotiate with the Kommaden high council. I think you two should join in on the politics. It really is quite exhilarating. Let me take you there." The tall, blue Kommadenian man walked up to a large tower-like building and we all followed him. He walked up a large stairway and through a large doorway, with us following. And as we entered the tower, we heard the loud voices of the high council down the halls. the voices died down and one voice came from the center. As we entered the council room, we saw in the middle, four figures. The first was a tall, slender, six armed, pale faced being standing tall on a side of the platform. The second was a human figure with a reddened beard and a black protective patch over his right eye. They were guarded by two stormtroopers. Both dressed in black Imperial suits, the human spoke to the council in a soothing voice, to pacify the Kommadenians.

"Fellow citizens of Kommaden, I, as you can see, am an Imperial captain, and this," he points to the tall, pale figure, "is an ambassador of the First Galactic Empire. An Inquisitor so to speak. We have come here to grant you all one of two choices. Submit to the Empire and join us all in one large reunification of the systems, where we will all live in peace. Or you can take the shorter path, denying acceptance to the Empire and all be forced to suffer as a rebellion against a perfect rule. I do warn you though, if you choose the latter path, there is a high chance that you will all die."

Immediately, the entire council starts shouting angrily at the central platform and the human cleared his throat.

"So, will you join, or die?"

The council continues their bumbling about, some murmuring, some rioting and shouting to the Imperial captain. I turned my head to see Karus pull up his gun slowly, to aim at the Inquisitor and the captain.

"Now, Karus, are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"Not at all. But if I can shoot and kill him now, we won't have anything to worry a out." He fired a shot toward them and the Inquisitor immediately turned, drew a lightsaber, and deflected the shot into the ceiling with his red blade.

"No," Karus stared at the Inquisitor in disbelief. The human captain turned to us, and the stormtroopers cocked their guns.

"Rebel scum," the human captain said as the stormtroopers fire at us, Rakine and I deflect their shots and Karus shoots at them. The stormtroopers fall down, one from Karus' shot, another from a deflected bolt. The Inquisitor runs across a narrow bridge toward us and Rakine and I turn to run out of the council chamber. I looked behind us and Karus is just behind us. The Kommadenians are all panicking and running around, desperately trying to avoid all the conflict. Karus runs out of the council chamber behind us and we stop to talk to him.

"Karus, what happened?" Rakine looked at him, in slight anger. "Why did you shoot?"

"I thought right there, we could have taken them. I thought this would be an easy shot. But they know we're here now. It's all my fault."

"Karus-" Rakine began to feel sympathy for the poor man. "Never is fighting for the Rebel Alliance easy. It's a hard and dangerous work."

"You're right, Rakine. But they're onto us now. We gotta get out of here," Karus yells in worry as the Inquisitor charges behind him. He Force jumps through the air, drawing one lightsaber blade, swiftly flying through the air, and swings his red blade, slashing through Karus' neck.

"Oh my God," I stared, taking a step back as Karus sinks to his knees and his head falls to the floor, his last glimpse, his wide eyes staring at us and his mouth slowly opened. But he was dead.

"Oh, sh-" Rakine looked at me in fear.

The Inquisitor lands on the floor in front of us and we turn to the stairway to flee. The Inquisitor Force jumps off the top of the stairway and lands in front of our ship, blocking us. With another of his six hands, he draws another lightsaber and points both of his blades at me and Rakine. This was one enemy unlike any we have ever seen.

"Prepare yourself, Venison," Rakine drew his lightsaber and pulled out my darksaber, igniting both it and my black antler-sabers.

"This is about to get ugly." The two of us began to face the large Inquisitor, but with each swing, he simply blocks each attack and slowly forces us back up the stairway.


	23. Chapter 23

Rakine and I backed up to the top of the stairway, where Karus' body and severed head lay. I looked to his head and I felt my anger rising within me. He may have been Rebel Captain, and a bad marksman, but he was a friend of the Alliance. Everyone he talked to, he grew a friendship with. Even I learned to tolerate him and we grew close, I could've even considered him as a friend. But now he's dead, and it's this Inquisitor who's responsible for his death.

"You rebel scum are no match for me," the Inquisitor spoke to us in a calm, deep voice.

I held my darksaber firmly and charged the large, pale man. I thrashed violently at his red blades and he Force shoved me back. I slide across the floor on my hoofed feet and I lunge back at him, igniting my antler-sabers. He holds me up in the air with the Force and chuckled.

"So, you're the little slab of deer meat who's been causing all the trouble."

He throws me down and I land on the ground in a somersault. I sprung back up, igniting my antler-sabers again and I block each of his attacks with the blade in my hand and the blades on my head. Rakine Force jumps over the Inquisitor to fight him on the other side, and the Inquisitor fought each of us. With one blade to Rakine and another to me. I swung my head and my black blades scraped against his forearm. He backed away and cringed, and held his arm with the Force, healing it with the powers of the Dark Side. He looked at me with an evil grin and swung violently at me again. The Inquisitor stepped out from between us and took off his long sleeves, exposing six long, thick, pale arms. With two of his other arms, he reached for his belt and pulled off two other lightsabers, and igniting them revealed very long, flexible, whip-like blades. He swung the lightwhips to me and Rakine. I dodged the blade and slashed it away, repelling his swings and he Force rushes to me, clashing against my blade with his two standard lightsaber blades.

"You think you can stop me?" He chuckled, "I pity you, deer. As you are about to meet a swift end."

He turned his head and Rakine attacks from behind, and the Inquisitor being able to block both our attacks. He swings the lightwhip blades at Rakine, leaving him to dodge the flexible plasma. The Inquisitor chuckled, with his standard lightsabers being swung at me, his lightwhips lashing to Rakine, and he stood to the side, with his last two arms folded. I sidestepped to avoid a lightwhips swing and roll across the floor, circling around him and slashing at his back. He groaned in pain and Force jumped up in the air, using the Dark Side of the Force to unnaturally heal his back, as if my slashes never hit him. He landed back on the ground between us, and growled at me, as if annoyed. He swung the lightwhips to the ground and I slash at his arm, releasing his grip on the lightwhip's handle altogether. I Force pulled the lightsaber to me and held it in my right hand while my left held my darksaber. Rakine Force pulled the other whip to his side and the Inquisitor healed his arm again.

"Stop doing that," Rakine stared irritated at the Inquisitor.

He shook his head

And with his two hands, holding the normal lightsabers, he threw them at me and Rakine. I performed a backflip to dodge the one thrown at me and Rakine swings his blade, smashing the other lightsaber's handle in pieces.

All six of his bare arms reached for the back his belt and pulled out from behind him, six lightsabers, one in each hand. All the blades ignited into six red greatsabers, their blades longer and larger than ours.

"Run."

Rakine said as he looked at me and Force jumped into the air and onto one of the massive beams on the metal towers. I jumped up at another metal tower and the Inquisitor jumped up after us. He stood in between us on one of the narrow beams and swung at Rakine. Rakine ducked under one of the greatsabers and blocked another, I swung at the Inquisitor from behind ad he blocked with two of his greatsabers. He threw Rakine's lightsaber out of his hand and kicked him against one of the metal towers and throwing him off, down to the ground below. I held his lightwhip and ignited it, swinging the long, red whip into his blades. I back away and he swings all three of his left arms at me and they hit the beam below us. I used the lightwhip to slash off two of his arms and he backed away, groaning in pain. I Force pulled one of his greatsabers to me as I put my darksaber away. I take his greatsaber and sever his legs and slash at his abdomen. He laughs evilly and flies up in the air, and using the Force, his severed arms, legs, and greatsabers flew back to him, pulling the greatsaber out of my hand. And with a strong burst of the Force, his limbs attached back to his body and he took control of his greatsabers again.

"As you can see, I am a Force-strong being."

"Y'know, you could've been a Sith Lord yourself," Rakine chuckled as he slowly got back up. "Looks like anyone can learn the Dark Side of the Force these days."

I scoffed at him and Force jumped up into another beam above us. He jumps up after me and I turn behind to see him behind me. I swing at him and he blocks my lightwhip with all six of his blades. He Force shoves me across the beam and I scramble to get back up on my feet. I Force jump up to another beam. And another. And another. Another one. Another one. The higher and higher we got, the more I felt I was being cornered by this Inquisitor. I turned to him as he jumped up onto the beam.

"Quit trying to run. You look weak. Like you're not as feared and respected as they said. You're just like you're master. A coward."

I stare at him and I feel myself flushed in rage. I thrash violently at the Inquisitor again, with my darksaber and the lightwhip in my hands and my antler-sabers on my head. I Force push him off the beam and he pulls the lightwhip out of my hand, with him. He lands on another lower beam and the lightwhip's blade slashes the beam in half as it falls to the ground far below. I land on the other side of the beam and both large towers begin to sway. We watch each other as the opposite towers slowly lean to the sides. I jump to his end of the beam and kick him into the metal tower. I swing my blade at him and he Force jumps over me, and my blade grinds through the side of the tower. The large metal cylinder above starts to lean over us and another beam above catches it, suspending the upper half of the tower in the air above our heads. I hear the metal creaking around us get louder and louder as I Force jump to a higher beam attached to the side of another tower. I slowly back down the long beam as he jumps after me and swings the greatsaber blades at me. Each repel, each swing, each block sends me backing up into the other tower, my back against the metal wall. I look to my left and find the beam we stand on is fastened to the side of the tower. I walk onto the narrow ledge and we continue to swing recklessly at each other. I Force push him back and throw my darksaber at him, its spinning black blade severing two of his hands at the wrists. I quickly Force pull my darksaber to me and catch it by the handle. The Inquisitor chuckles at me.

"Look at you. You think you can take me down."

I watch his hands and greatsabers fall below us and I Force pull one of his greatsabers to me. I swing it and stick it in the side of the ledge. The creaking around me grows louder and I watch the ledge below me slowly fall, the side grinding against the tower. I Force backflip onto another beam and watch as the beam he stands on fall down, swinging into the other tower it had attached to. He Force jumped after me and I quickly swipe my darksaber, cutting off another one of his hands. He backs away and with the Force again, pulls all his greatsabers and his all three of his severed hands back to his body. And with the Dark Side, he welds his body together again, his hands all connecting back to their wrists and each hand holding a greatsaber.

"Quit trying boy. It it hopeless."

He holds his greatsabers and starts quickly swinging all of them in front of him, making a giant, red, spinning propellor with his six blades. I back away and Force jump to a lower beam tower and I look up at him. He stops spinning his blades and looks down on me. I watch my enemy as he stands there. A giant, pale, humanoid monster. With a thin, white head with gray sunken eyes and black scars over the lower lip. He had a long, thin neck and a humanoid body, six long arms, each hand with giant red lightsabers. We both stand on the two separate beams, staring at each other. And I look at the environment around us. All the large metal towers going up to the sky, and thousands of beams connecting and intertwining with all the separate towers. We are like two animals, caught in this metal jungle. He jumps down to me and holds all his greatsabers pointed at me.

"You think just because you can always repair your body, you can still be more powerful than me? I'm smaller than you, yes, but I've injured you more times than you hit me. And you haven't hit me once yet."

He growled and Force charged to me, swinging all six of his blades, I ignite my antler-sabers again and block each of his giant red blades. I Force kick him away and slowly walk over to him, swinging at his greatsabers. With one vertical swing, I slice one of his greatsabers in half and I watch the debris fall to the floor below.

"Try fixing that," I chuckle and charge him again and he Force jumps to a higher beam. I start quickly twirling my darksaber in my left hand and I Force jump up to him as a large, spinning, black blade. I land in front of him and Force pull another greatsaber to me and slice it in half. I continue to walk toward him as he holds his four greatsabers in front of him.

"Looks like I've found your weakness." I chuckle, twirling my black blade in my hand as I slowly walk closer and closer to him. I Force jump over him and he turns to swing his greatsaber at me from behind. I simply raise my head and my black antler-blades repel his attack. I jerk my head up and send his greatsaber flying in the air above. I Force pulled it to me and slash it in pieces.

"Now you only have three." I chuckle and begin to mock him. "Oh whatever shall you do if I destroy all of your blades?"

"You don't know me, Lord Venison. You may have antlers as a weapon. But I am an arsenal of weapons."

The Inquisitor put his three greatsabers away and from his back, with his six arms he pulled out, from behind his back, four saberstaffs, each with a metal ring around it, connecting at each emitter end. The bottom pair of hands held a lightwhip each, grabbed from his belt. He ignited the lightwhips and started swinging them at me. I blocked with my darksaber and antler-sabers and slowly backed away from him as he held his saberstaffs to the side and focused with the whips. I jump to a lower platform and he jumps after me. I clash my blade against his lightwhip blades and he deactivates them. Turning to the saberstaffs, he ignited all four of them, and I realized what the ring was for. The blades on the saberstaff started rapidly turning around, attached to the spinning ring. He held each of the spinning saberstaffs in front of them and swung the lightwhips from the sides. I have no choice but to run.

I drop to the lower beams and jump back down to the floor of Kommaden, the Inquisitor jumping down after me. He swung all the red blades at me and I block each one with my antler-sabers. With the sharp jerks of my head, I repel each swing and I look to my left side, Rakine up and running to my side, igniting his red lightsaber and the lightwhip he got from earlier. He stops running and looks at the Inquisitor.

"How many weapons does this guy need?" I asked.

Rakine runs up to the Inquisitor and jumps over his head, slashing at him from above with the lightwhip. As he landed on the ground behind the Inquisitor, he turned around to see the Inquisitor healing his head, using the Dark Side of the Force to repair his skin.

"You cannot heal yourself forever," Rakine scoffed and the Inquisitor looked at Rakine.

"Rakine- you are a fool. You think the Rebel Alliance will rise against the Empire. You think you and this pathetic deer can stop me?" He chuckled and shook his head.

I ran up to the Inquisitor from behind and he jumped over me, Force throwing me onto the floor.

"Who are you?" I got up and slowly backed away from the tall beast.

"I am Imperial justice, brought to this system by the order of the Empire, to search the galaxy and purge it of you filthy rebels." He glared at me and Rakine. "I am Sot-Kolok, a knight of the Inquisition." He held his saberstaffs toward us. "I give you two choices. Surrender now or you will suffer a fate worse than death."

I held my darksaber ready.

"You cannot easily take us down." I walked slowly toward him. "I am a Sith Lord, Darth Venison. The dark knight of the Rebel Alliance."

Rakine stood by my side and drew his lightsaber and lightwhip, we slowly walked to opposite ends of the Inquisitor, ready to continue the fight. Sot-Kolok held his saberstaffs ready, two pointed at each of us. He swung his lightwhip at me and I somersaulted under it, Force throwing my Darksaber at him. My black blade bounced off two of his red blades and I pulled it back to me. Rakine Force charged at him and try began clashing blades and swinging violently at each other. Sot-Kolok's blades started spinning around and Rakine stuck his lightsaber through the circular handle, and split one of the saberstaffs in half. The pieces hit the ground and Sot-Kolok swung his lightwhip at Rakine. He Force jumped over the long whip and I charged from behind, repelling the red blades. I ignited my antler-sabers and with my darksaber, I forced his saberstaff blades away and swung my head, my antler blades slashing at his arms. He Force jumped in the air and used the Dark Side to heal his arms in the air. I glared at him as he descended back down. He turned to me and Force threw me into a metal tower and he turned to Rakine.

"I'm too powerful. You might as well give up now."

He swung both of his lightwhips at Rakine and he ducked under the first one, and got back up, with a quick swing at the other. After deflecting the other shot, Rakine swung his lightwhip at Sot-Kolok multiple times, only for each swing to be repelled by a saberstaff blade.

I slowly got back up and Force pulled my darksaber to me. Rakine deactivated the lightwhip in his hand and threw the handle over the Inquisitor's head to me. I catch it and ignite the whip and start swinging at him from behind. Rakine starts to use Force lightning against the Inquisitor as he throws a saberstaff to the ground to pick up Rakine with the Force and throw him far off into the metal forest of Kommaden.


	24. Chapter 24

I put my darksaber away and slowly walked up to Sot-Kolok as he picked up his saberstaff. I swung the lightwhip at him and the blade locks around one of his saberstaff blades. I tug aggressively and the blade of the lightwhip splits through another saberstaff ring, its debris landing on the ground. With one of his extra hands he pulled a greatsaber from the back of his belt and I swung my antler-sabers at him. We slashed at each other and I swung the lightwhip, it's blade wrapping around the greatsaber's blade and pulling it out of his hand. I Force pulled the greatsaber to me. I ignited its long blade and I swung recklessly at him, barely giving him enough time to deflect my swings. I slash three of his limbs off and I slice off his legs at the knees. He floats up in the air with the Force and pulls his severed limbs to him, using the Dark Side's power to attach himself together again. He stands up on his legs and swings his lightwhips at me. I block both the whips and he swings his saberstaffs to me. I swung my lightwhip at him and the long blade destroys one of the circular rings of one of the saberstaffs. He takes back his other saberstaff and the red blades start spinning rapidly. He swings his lightwhips at me and I backflip over both of them. I throw the greatsaber at him and Force pull it back to me. I Force jump at him and swing the lightwhip in midair. He backs away and lifts one leg, Force kicking me back onto the ground. I drop to the ground and lose my grip on the lightwhip and greatsaber. He walks over to me and kicks my stomach, sending me rolling across the ground. I slowly get up and Force pull the greatsaber to me and Sot-Kolok swung his last spinning saberstaff blades at me. I swing viscously at him and quickly Force jump over him, with one vertical swing, I slice off three of his arms at the shoulder. He turns to me as I slash off the other three arms, I swing at his legs and all of his limbs fall to the ground. He lands on his back and I towered over him, mercilessly slashing away at his chest.

Suddenly I'm thrown away from him and his body floats up in the air, his legs and limbs float back up to their place and his Dark Side Force trick welded his body together again. He dropped back down to the floor and held his weapons at me. His empty hands reached for his last greatsabers and he pointed them at me.

"You can persist, but I always will come back intact."

I growled at him as he kept rejuvenating his body, to keep the fight going.

"You don't stop do you?" I slowly walked to him, twirling the red greatsaber.

He chuckled and shook his head.

I stopped and stared at him, and ignited the lightwhip again, for another attack. I swung the ship blade at him and he repelled with a greatsaber. He lunged to me with the Force and before he could land a fatal blow on my head, I ignited my antler-sabers. Deflecting his swing to my head, I walked toward him.

"As you can see, my antlers are my greatest weapon." I stood proud as I faced the Inquisitor.

He growled and swung his two greatsabers at me again, I jumped over the first and whipped the second of them out of his hand. I turned and whipped the other greatsaber out of his hand and Force pulled both of them to me. I slashed through both of the greatsaber hilts and destroy the weapons. I slowly walk toward Sot-Kolok and swung the whip at him, he deflected it with a saberstaff blade. I held his last greatsaber in my fight hand, and I blocked off some of his lightwhip swings. He charges to me and I slash his lightwhip blades away with my antler-saber blades. He jumped back and swung his two lightwhips more. I held the greatsaber to deflect more of his swinging blades and I yawned.

"You bore me Sot-Kolok."

I Force jumped over him and without turning my body, I thrust the greatsaber backwards, into his abdomen and he groans, kicking me away. He used his Dark Side power to mend the hole in his back and he swung his spinning saberstaff at me. I slowly back away from the red propeller and with one swing of the lightwhip, I knock his saberstaff out of his hand and Force kick him back. I Force charged to him and mercilessly slash all of his arms off and I continue to slash at his chest. He floats up in the air to heal.

"I don't think so."

I growled and with the lightwhip, I swing it and it wraps around the thick skin on his chest and I yank him back to the ground. I jump on his body and I start rapidly stabbing him through the chest and abdomen. He screams in pain with a wide mouth, full of crooked fanged teeth. I jump off him and watch as he weakly tries to heal himself. I throw the greatsaber into his chest and he falls to the ground. I turn to walk away, leaving him to die and I hear him call to me.

"Lord Venison," he looked at me, slowly pulling the greatsaber out of his chest.

"Why aren't you dead yet?" I asked him.

"I have been fighting and killing rebels for a long time. I have fought many like you. But I conquered over all of them. I don't fall easy in battle-"

"Well guess what?" I held the ligtwhip and wrapped it around his neck as it slowly melts his thick skin. "You just did."

"Veniso-" he tries to plea and I tightened my pull on the lightwhip around his neck.

I stare down at him, as I sever his head with the lightwhip. I back away and watch as his head rolls off his shoulders to the floor of Kommaden. His body falls to the ground and I deactivate my blades. I turn around and walk away from his mangled and shredded corpse. I opened my handheld communicator and Mon Mothma herself appears.

"Lord Venison." She bows her head.

"The Inquisitor is dead."

"And where is Rakine? And Karus?"

I lower my head and close my eyes. I think to myself in sympathy and I answer.

"Karus is dead." I stare angrily at the ground. "Killed by the Inquisitor." I raised my head. " And I don't know where Rakine is either. He went missing in a battle with the Inquisitor."

Mon Mothma hid her face in her hand and shook her head.

"Find Rakine please. Tell the Kommadenians that the Empire will not take over. And come back to Yavin 4."

I nodded and the hologram disappeared. I put the communicator away and begin to look for Rakine. I follow where he was thrown during the battle and find him laying on the ground unconscious. I run over to him and sigh. I picked him up with my telekinetic power of the Force and walk to the _Zant's Nightmare_ , back near Kommaden City.

I open the door to my ship and I lay Rakine in a chair. When I look out to see the Kommadenians gathered by the city square, I step out and run to them to find out what's got their attention. I push through the crowd and I see the Imperial captain and two stormtroopers guarding him. They turn and board an Imperial ship, the door slowly closing behind them.

"No," I mutter as I run to the ship and Force jump to the door. I roll through the small closing space of the doorway and the door closes behind me. I get up off the floor and the ship starts and takes off the ground. I activate my darksaber and slice a circular hole through the floor if the ship and see the ground slowly leaving. I turn to a control panel on the floor and start messing with the wiring of the ship. I start slashing away at them and sparks and steam start to grow from the panel. An alarm starts to blade and stormtroopers turn the corner and open fire on me. I back away to the hole in the floor, deflecting the shots and as the control panels explode, I drop through the hole. I fall through the air and watch as the Imperial ship explodes into a massive black and orange cloud above me. I land on one of the beams of the metal towers and slowly jump back down to the ground. I ran back to my ship chuckling.

I opened the door to my ship and Rakine slowly wakes up.

"Ven," he rubs his head, "where is the Inquisitor?"

"Dead." I sat down in the pilot seat and turn to him.

"And the Imperial captain who was assigned to take over Kommaden?"

"Take a look," I pointed at the black explosion in the sky. "I bet the Empire will notice one ship didn't make it back."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"That's not what we meant when we said to stop the Empire."

"You know me. I'm arrogant, stubborn. And I jump the gun a lot. Besides, the people of Kommaden are safe. The Empire can't liberate systems if their escorts don't make it back."

"True," he nodded.

"But we should get out there and tell them that everything is okay, and the Empire won't take this system over." I stood up and walked to the door and Rakine walked behind me.

"If the Empire finds out that an entire ship was destroyed after leaving Kommaden, they might know it was us."

"Come on, Rakine, when one thing goes wrong, they already know it's us. We've been ruining their plans for galactic domination for a while now. By now they should know the Rebels aren't going down easy."

He nodded and we began heading to the center of Kommaden City to inform the people of their safety from the Empire. Now that we've taken care of the situation.

"Do you think they are easily pacified?" I looked at Rakine.

"Hard to say. Especially with what's been going on now."


	25. Chapter 25

We stepped back up on the stairs in front of the Kommaden City council chamber and watched as two Kommadenian citizens carry Captain Karus's body. Another Kommadenian comes from behind them with his severed head. I watched them with a bitter feeling of grief as they took his body away into a small building. I looked back at the citizens of the city as they stared at me and Rakine.

"Attention citizens of Kommaden," Rakine tried to get all their attention. "The Imperial threat on this system is no more. The Imperial captain and guards were all destroyed in the explosion in the sky. And their Inquisitor has been vanquished in the metal tower forest. You are all safe."

"But what if the Empire comes back?" A young Kommadenian woman asked us. She stared at us with her bright yellow eyes, from her green, diamond-shaped head. "What if they find out and they come back to liberate this peaceful system?"

"We'll make sure they won't invade in the future," I took one step down toward the crowd. "Rakine and I make it our duty to fight for the Rebel Alliance, bringing peace and justice to the galaxy. We will stand up against the oppression of the Empire, and as it expands, we of the Rebel Alliance will do what we can to stop them. Stop them from attacking peaceful systems." I remember how they killed my family, and the rest of the population of Randin Village. How they left our village to rot, and decay, and leave a tragic legacy to Zant. "I have seen it before. My people back on my home planet Zant were mercilessly killed by the cruel, evil Empire. My friends who lived there, my family-" I have a small flashback of when I saw my mother's dead body slouched in a chair. She held the baby bump of her stomach as she received countless blaster bolts to the chest and stomach. Both of them were killed in the shooting. My mother. My future sibling. Both taken from me, and and the hands of the Empire. I wipe the tears off my face and stare ahead, in anger, with hatred for the Empire. "They have killed my family. My mother, who was too weak to take care of herself anymore. The child she carried. They never stood a chance." I wiped my face again and muttered to myself quietly, staring angrily, down at the stairs below me. "I never should have turned by back. I never should've left them."

Rakine stepped closer to the crowd of Kommadenians.

"Now you have heard about how evil the Empire is. They take over systems, they take many innocent lives, they kill anyone who steps in their path, anyone who says "no" to the Empire. They truly are the greatest danger, the greatest threat to the galaxy. And what is it what we fight for? Freedom. Justice. Restoration of the Old Republic. Peace throughout the galaxy." Rakine stood straight and proud. "The Rebel Alliance will grow strong and wipe this Empire out of the galaxy. We will not stand the oppression or the hatred they will give to the systems. We will fight back." Rakine walked down into the crowd, looking at each of the Kommadenian individuals. "Will you help us and our cause? You have some of the most advanced technology I have seen in my many years of traveling the galaxy. Your weapons, your transportation, all of it. It will greatly help us in our fight against the Empire. We ask you now, will you help us? Will you help us fight back? By lending us your weapons and providing for the Rebel Alliance, you are proving your loyalty to galactic peace and justice." He spoke calmly to them. "Will you help us?"

The Kommadenians started to shout in approval and applaud to me and Rakine, many of them whooping excitedly. Three of the council members walked to us and nodded.

"We will join your cause against the Empire, we will provide weapons and transportation for the Rebel Alliance. Just tell us where your rebel base is and we'll begin communication with the Alliance, to tell them that help is on the way."

"Yavin 4, the fourth moon in the Yavin system. We have a large rebel base present. It remains hidden from the Empire."

"We will inform them that the Kommaden system has agreed to join the Rebellion against the Empire."

Rakine and I bowed in respect to the council members.

"Thank you, council." Rakine and I walked down the stairs and through the cheering crowd of Kommadenian citizens. They continued to applaud to us as we walked through, back to out ship, just outside the city. As we got through the crowd and reached the ship, Rakine opened his communicator and Mon Mothma answered.

"Rakine Cerivian," Mon Mothma nodded. "So good to see you again. Lord Venison had us worried."

"Well, I'm alright. There is nothing more for you or the Rebel Alliance to worry about. The Kommaden council has agreed to join the Rebels against the Empire."

"Excellent." Mon Mothma grinned. "Now, Lord Venison told us that Karus is-" Rakine and I turned to the building where Karus' body and head were taken, and two Kommadenians came out with his body and head, laid down on a hovering stretcher, his body was decorated in Kommadenian flowers, meant to pay respect for him. His head placed at the neck and his neck was covered, to conceal the slash that took his life. His face and body were cleaned up, the blood on his hairy face cleaned off, his eyes and mouth closed. He looked almost like he was asleep. But I felt no pulse in his body. And Rakine and I knew he was dead. Rakine pointed the communicator to Karus' decorated body and Mon Mothma gasped and covered her mouth as Karus's stretcher hovered to us.

"He is gone," Rakine nodded and lowered his head in sympathy. The Kommadenians took Karus's body to the ship and left it at the door. They walked past us, lowering their diamond-shaped heads in sympathetic respect, and they walked back to the city.

"I see," Mon Mothma nodded slowly. "Please come back soon. We have much to talk about."

Rakine nodded and Mon Mothma's image disappeared. He closed the communicator and walked to the ship. One of the council members walked up to us and spoke in a quiet voice.

"I will come with you. If Kommaden agreed to joining the Rebel Alliance, it would be best we go to discuss the situation." She looked at us with her bright orange eyes as she walked to the ship.

Rakine and I nodded. The ship's door opened and I brought Karus' body and stretcher on board. After Rakine and the Kommadenian council member entered the ship, I closed the door, sat down in the pilot's seat and started the ship. The two sat down in the other two seats.

"Now, dear council member, what is your name?" Rakine looked at the Kommadenian.

"I am Rulus Knil-Wean." She looked at Rakine, and he nodded in response. "I hope now that you know my name, you are satisfied."

"Your system is very wise to join us against the Empire. We are fighting for peace, and-" Rakine stopped and Rulus raised a hand to him.

"You already said that," The council member chuckled and looked out the front window of the ship as it took off the ground and headed out of the Kommaden's metal forest.

The _Nigh_ _tmare_ flew past all the large towers and beams, and sailed straight through the planet's atmosphere. I activated the ship's sails and the ship flew toward the Yavin system, where we would go back to Mon Mothma to discuss our next plan. As the ship sailed smoothly through space, Rakine and Rulus watched the stars sail by and I turned to Karus' body, lying still, on the hovering stretcher. I lowered my head and closed my eyes. I never knew how hard it was to lose a fellow Rebel captain. A friend.


	26. Chapter 26

Rulus Knil-Wean watched as the rebel base drew closer and as the ship flew down through the hangar entrance and I landed the Nightmare in the hangar's floor, Rakine stood up and walked to the stretcher which held Karus' body. Rulus and I got up and I opened the door, walking out and being greeted by Mon Mothma.

"We have returned with a council member of Kommaden. She says she's here to discuss Kommaden's loyalties to the Rebel Alliance." I turned around and Rulus walked out, with a nod. Rakine followed after her while bringing Karus out with him. Mon Mothma frowned when she saw Karus, laying dead on the hovering stretcher.

"We should prepare something for the captain. Bring him to the balcony." Rakine nodded and walked down a hallway with Karus's body. Rulus and Mon glanced at each other, bowed in respect to each other, and walked down the hall to the base's main council chamber. I closed the door to my ship and followed behind Rakine. I caught up to him and stared down at Karus' body.

"What're we going to do with Karus?"

"Prepare a funeral for him. A special way to send him off. We're giving him a Jedi's cremation."

I stopped walking and stared silently at Karus as his body kept being walked away by Rakine.

"A Jedi?" I kept walking behind Rakine.

"Yes. He may not have looked like much now but he was a Jedi when he was young. Karus and I trained together as young Padawans. When I learned the Light Side of the Force. We were younglings when we met. Before the Empire rose to power. It's when we became really close friends."

"He was actually a Jedi?"

"Yes," he nodded. "He wasn't strong with the Force or the best with a lightsaber, but I always looked out for him." Rakine chuckled. "He wasn't the best with handling weapons. He wanted to be a pilot fighter." He looks down at Karus. "We grew up as Jedi Padawans together. We were both about to become Knights when the Empire rose. We both knew if we stayed in the Jedi Temple, we'd die. So we escaped to a ship and flew away. Away from it all. We travelled the galaxy looking for a place to retreat. When we found Yavin, we thought we found a safe place to hide. Turned out a Rebel Alliance was making its base there. They took us in and we joined the Rebel cause. Karus trained to be a better marksman with a gun, and they appreciated his improvement of skill. They thought we were the greatest assets to the Alliance. Karus became a captain, and I continued to learn more ways of the Force. I trained myself afterwards, and I learned how to balance both sides and walked this path, the Gray Path. We still respected each other for our strength that the Rebel Alliance gave us. We went on many missions across the galaxy and-"

I looked at Rakine's face, where the scar from his right eyebrow went down his face and to the collarbone.

"How did you get that scar?" I asked.

"This was from a lightsaber." He rubbed his face. "A fight with an Inquisitor, the same one you fought on Kommaden."

We turned a corner to a large, wide open room, with a skylight that opens to the clear, sunset-colored sky of Yavin 4.

"Sot-Kolok?"

He nodded and stopped the stretcher near the center of the room, next to a large stone bed, covered in wood and ash.

"We first met on Mandalore, and we first fought each other there. He knew I was a rebel. He tried to kill me. I was lucky enough to even escape alive."

"I don't even know how I managed to take him out," I shuddered.

"There's something incredibly unnatural anout you Ven," Rakine nodded.

I sat down on a concrete slab and looked at Karus' body, as Rakine picked up Karus and laid him on the wood and ash.

"You're going to burn his body, aren't you?"

He nodded.

"After dark, the Jedi's body is cremated. It's how we free the spirit and they become one with the Force."

I nodded and looked down at the floor, wrapping my head around everything Rakine has told me. I understood now everything that has happened and how the Rebel Alliance rose. How Rakine and Karus came to the Alliance and grew powerful as best friends. How Karus' lived for the Rebel Alliance. How Sot-Kolok, the notorious Inquisitor has rivaled Rakine and how I avenged Karus' death. I looked up and Mon Mothma, Rulus Knil-Wean, and many members of the Rebel Alliance stepped in and all their eyes focused on the deceased captain on the stone bed, surrounded by wood and ash. Rakine looked up at the sky as the sun set over the horizon. The room darkened and Mon Mothma walked closer to his body.

"Fellow rebels, a tragic day has come to the Alliance. One of our most beloved fighter captains, Karus Gorobon, has fallen on the field of battle on planet Kommaden. But we shall nit be discouraged by his death, but we shall be encouraged by his life. We shall keep our heads up, and respect Karus for all the things he had done in the past, to serve the Rebel Alliance. He was a captain, a friend, a former Jedi. And thus, we will give him a Jedi's farewell."

I stood up and stood between Rakine and Rulus, Rakine to my right and Rulus to my left. Mon Mothma stood on Rulus' left side and another Rebel captain on Rakine's right side.

"And he will finally be one with the Force."

Rakine nodded slowly and lit a match and tossed it into the wood, instantly seizing the top of the stone bed and Karus' body in flames. Everyone in the room lowered their heads respectfully and I lowered mine, I closed my eyes and thought about everything that had happened. I remembered the first time I met Karus, and how the friendship between us began to grow. I felt sadness and sympathy for my fallen friend. I felt the heat from the fire cast upon his body, and through the Force, I felt bits of Force energy grow out of Karus' body. I felt his presence within us, as if he was still alive, standing in the flames and watching all of us. I am sure Rakine could feel it too. I opened one eye and saw Karus indeed standing in the fire, almost like a blue holographic image. A spirit of Karus manifested through the flames and nodded to me, before vanishing into thin air. I closed my eyes and thought silently to myself.

"He's stronger with the Force then he though."

We all stayed still, bowing our heads in respect to Karus, as we felt his presence disappear. The fire continued to roar as his Force energy and the sparks of the flames that covered his body flew up into the night sky through the hole in the balcony's ceiling. His body slowly combusted into the ashes that supported him.

The fire began to die down and Rakine opened his eyes.

"His spirit has been released. Karus has become one with the Force."

I felt it too, as I looked at Karus' remains in the dying flames. Our dear friend, the former Jedi Padawan, the Rebel Alliance's captain, Karus was gone.

* * *

I had an awfully uneasy feeling the following night. I had visions in my sleep of Karus and Rakine as young Padawans, training together. Them the Empire came and they retreated to Yavin 4 to join the rebels. I felt a slight tremor in the Force, waking me up. I looked around and as I got up from the bed in my living chamber, I knew what that feeling was. Karus. I walked slowly to the center of the room and an apparition of Karus appeared before me. He stood proud and rubbed his neck, where he was decapitated. But nothing was there. I knelt down to him in respect.

"Karus, we all miss you."

"I know you do, Lord Venison," he chuckled and grinned to me. "The entire Rebel Alliance wishes I weren't dead. Stand up."

I stood up and looked at Karus' spirit as he stood tall.

"How are you here?"

"After my spirit was released from cremation, I have become one with the Force. I have come back now, as a Force ghost. I have news for you. This must be for your ears and your ears only."

I nodded.

"I must tell you that I was a former Jedi, since I can take this form."

I nodded again.

"Rakine told me your story."

"Very good." He chuckled. "i knew I could trust him. But I must tell you quickly about one Jedi trick that I was told about as a youngling. I never learned it successfully. It is considered both combative and defensive trick. It is the same trick that the Inquisitor Sot-Kolok has performed many times in most of his fights with Rakine, in the past. The power to levitate and float in the air."

"Levitation?"

"It is a rarely taught technique. And it is hard to master. But I remember everything my older master taught me."

I stood still in the middle of the room, ready for Karus to instruct me.

"Use the Force to influence your midi-chlorians, you can trick them into thinking you are lightweight. The midi-chlorians are the things that the Force is made up of, and if you can bend them to your will by influencing them, you can pull off nearly any Force trick. But remember, it is a very difficult thing to master. Jedi state in envy at those who have mastered it."

I nodded.

"Tell me, Karus, what can the Rebel Alliance do without you as a Captain?"

He shook his head.

"I have not a clue. But I think someone's going to take my old job and be the new Rebel Captain. Maybe Rakine will get promoted and take my position." He chuckled. "I do wish the Rebel Alliance the best of luck." Karus' Force spirit began to disappear and he looked at me. "Lord Venison-"

"Yes, Karus?"

"May the Force be with you." Karus' spirit began to float in the air and his image had completely faded, his presence in the Force had left as well. I had laid back down on my bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the advice he gave me.

"Influence the midi-chlorians to grant you the power to levitate? I lifted my head to the door and heard voices traveling past the door. Mon Mothma and Rulus Knil-Wean were talking to each other down the hall. I slowly got up and walked to the door, resting the side of my head and my large deer ear against the door.

"What will we do now? Now that Karus is gone?"

"We shall hope that the Rebel Alliance remains strong. I liked Karus. He was a wonderful Captain. But we need to find another to take his place."

"Venison?"

"Venison couldn't take that role. He is a Sith Lord, and the warrior for the Alliance."

"Then his friend?"

"Rakine? I don't know about th-"

They almost turned the corner down the hall.

"Listen to yourself Mon Mothma. You can barely think straight. We need to make a quick decision."

I slowly opened the door and through the Force, I controlled Mothma's mind in a Jedi trick.

"Rakine should be the next Rebel Captain." I whispered. Mon Mothma froze and raised one hand, a finger pointed up.

"Rakine should be the next Rebel Captain."

Rulus nodded.

"I'm glad we have an agreement."

They continued walking down the hall and I closed my door, turning to my bed. I walked over to it and lazily flopped down on the soft comforter. I lay silently, feeling the cool air from the vent above graze against the short fur on my back, only making the metal plate around my abdomen colder. I turned to lay on my back, staring at the ceiling, trying to catch some sleep.


	27. Chapter 27

I got up from the bed rubbing my eyes and yawning. I didn't get any sleep at all. I had been laying motionless on the bed, staring at the ceiling for what felt like countless hours. How could I sleep that night knowing Karus died yesterday and his own ghost came back to talk to me about a difficult trick in the Force. I'm so tired, but I have to remain awake and focused. Without Karus, the Rebel Alliance may be struggling just to stay in order. As I put my hands on my back to stretch my spine, Rakine opened the door of my room and motioned me to join him in the hallway.

"We have much to discuss Ven," he rubbed his head as I left my room and we walked down the hallway. "I still wonder, how were you able do it? How did you take out my rival Inquisitor, Sot-Kolok so fast? We've been at each other for a long time and then you showed up. Tore him apart."

"I think his weakness was the lightwhip. I pulled him back down before he could heal and-" I cleared my throat, "-I mercilessly took his life from him."

"Should've thought of that sooner," he chuckled sarcastically.

"But you're trained in both aspects of the Force. How did he beat you all this time?"

"We were formidable foes, me and him. But back on Kommaden, it felt like he overpowered me. After I watched Karus die, I felt like, I was getting somewhat weaker to him. I don't know what came over me back there but I wasn't my usual self." He rubbed his left forearm. "I'm normally much more powerful and aggressive in combat than I was back there."

"Point proven," I lowered my head and banged my metal knuckles to my head where the cybernetic antler-sabers replaced my natural Zan-Deer antlers. We chuckled.

"I think what really did made me weaker, I had neglected my knowledge of the Force. I was trained in both Light and Dark yet I didn't use them to my advantage. I guess I was only thinking of swinging my blade at him."

"Then, whenever the next time you're in combat, Rakine, remember to go all out. Use the best of your Force knowledge. Use what you can to guarantee your success. Prove to yourself, prove to me, that you are still as powerful as before."

He nodded.

"I can't help but wonder," he looked at me as we walked, "who are you? I know you prefer not to dwell on your past but I wish to know-"

I looked to him dumbfounded.

"-you may have transformed into a might Sith Lord, but is there even the slightest hint that Eyt, the Zan-Deer warrior of Zant, is still alive within you?"

I nodded before quietly muttering.

"Yes. He is still in me. My past is a haze, but he still lives on within me."

He nodded.

"Good. Then you are not fully lost to the Dark Side forever."

"What do you mean?"

"When you killed Sorin back on Hoth, you had me kinda convinced that Eyt was gone, and Darth Venison had complete control over you now."

"You seem to forget, Rakine. Both Eyt and Venison are the same both within me. All together, they are one and the same. I'm sill the Zan-Deer you trained on Coruscant and Naboo. I'm just-"

"Different." He shook his head. "If you had to pick at least one of the two forms you've taken-"

"Lord Venison is my permanent physical form now." I pulled up my cybernetic limbs and tapped my metallic antler-sabers. "But like Eyt, he is another part of me, my character and who I am. Now both Venison and Eyt, they both now live within me, constantly reliving my fateful past." I lowered one arm and held my metallic hand close to me, examining the three metal claws that replaced my thumb and two fingers. "But as long as I live, I still leave a choice."

"A choice?" He stared curiously.

I nodded slowly.

"This is about your past is it?"

"I know I've been trying to ignore it, to deny what I've done in the past. Killing my old chief, leaving my village in panic and let them all be slaughtered." I start to grow anger towards myself. "Everything horrible that happened, is all because of me."

"Don't say that." He shook his head. "Don't put this on yourself." He began lecturing me with his wisdom. "You were consumed by anger, you didn't know better. That is all. But remember that now, each choice you make will alter your future. If you wish to help the Rebel Alliance's cause here, or if you went back to Ikana now to be with Rooda. That's up to you. I hate to say it, but even I don't know the consequences of certain choices and action." He sighed. "I still remember my past. When Karus and I used to train in the Jedi Temple. I feel so sorry for what happened to him on Kommaden and how he's gone now. I just can't stop thinking about how he used to be a Padawan, and he switched to a blaster and a pilot helmet." He chuckled and shook his head. "In all my time watching the Jedi training and training myself, Karus was probably the worst Padawan I've seen. He was a mess with a lightsaber. He wasn't even good a training one. I felt bad for the guy, so I started to help him, and we later trained together." He looked at the floor disappointed. "Seeing how even with our training and Order 66 and all that other junk, he still never grew to be a strong Jedi. He wasn't good with weapons, but with the Force- I don't even know if he had any skill in the Force."

"He did. He appeared in my room as a Force ghost, and gave me a lot of advice."

"A Force ghost?" He turned to me surprised. "So he was better with the Force than a lightsaber? Why didn't he ever tell me these things?"

I shrugged.

"He told me of a Force power that even the best Jedi can never master. A power to trick your midi-chlorians, to levitate and fly in the air." I shrugged my shoulders.

"You're not going to try this are you?"

I shook my head.

"If the great Jedi Masters of the past couldn't master it, what chance do I have?" I looked at him. "Though you have a lot more training in the Force, both Light and Dark aspects. Maybe you have a better chance to try it."

He chuckled and shook his head slowly.

"It's not that easy, Ven. I know far more in the Force than you, there's no denying it-"

I rolled my eyes, but I couldn't deny it. He was right.

"Why could an apparition of Karus manifest into my room to tell me this trick if we're not going to at least practice, eh? It doesn't make any sense does it?"

"No it doesn't." Rakine shrugged. "Then again, nothing I've gone through in the past has ever made sense. Nothing that had to do with Karus ever made sense. He knew some things, and he never bothered to tell me some of them." He rubbed his head, "I think he had much knowledge of the Force and was just bad at training. So when there were some things he knew and I didn't, he tried to hide it from me so I couldn't become even more powerful in the Force?"

"I think it's safe to say that. He was an awfully quiet character." Now I am thinking of all the trouble Karus got into since I met him. Both captured and killed. "How did Karus, a former Jedi, Rebel Captain, get captured and separated from the group while we were on that Star Destroyer?"

Rakine shrugged.

"Come to think of it, why couldn't we feel him with the Force? When I went back to rescue him, I never felt any tremor that might lead me to him. Unless Vader and Sidious' presence were so strong, they've disrupted the Force?"

"Well, he learned the Force," Rakine looked down to the floor, "he just never used it. Not even I know why."

"There are so many things he could have explained to us, but instead he kept it all a secret." He looked up and turned to me again. "You said he manifested in your room as a spirit?"

I nodded.

"That's when he told me of the Force technique, levitation. How it was an incredibly difficult trick to master, and how even the greats failed at it." I thought silently, thinking about why he came to tell me this. "I still think he wants us to learn it and to try to use it."

Rakine nodded slowly as we walked into the main council chamber. Mon Mothma and Rulus Knil-Wean turned to us and welcomed us.

"Rakine, we have news for you. After the passing of Karus, we have been looking for a new Rebel to take his place. And we think we have found the right man for the job."

"You want me to take Karus' place? To become Rebel Captain?"

Rulus nodded.

"We don't know what it was, but we had agreed to promote you to Captain, to take Karus' old place. We were debating over it last night and suddenly, we came to an agreement."

I silently stood there, managing a slight grin. I knew my mind trick had worked, and Rakine was going to become Captain thanks to my choice to trick Mon Mothma and Rulus.

"Will you take the position and become a Captain o the Rebel Alliance?"

Rakine nodded.

"I'll do it."

I looked around the large chamber and the Rebels started to applaud and cheer for Rakine. Mon Mothma walked to a table and pulled off Karus' old Rebel pilot helmet.

"This was Karus' helmet. If you are to become Captain, you must have knowledge of how to fly spacecraft."

"I do. Lord Venison has seen me fly his ship across the galaxy many times. And even with my own ship, I've escaped the Empire many times. I've flown through the asteroid fields of Geonosis without any trouble. I've been in many intergalactic chases. Trust me, I know how to fly spacecraft."

She gave him a somewhat stern face, noticing his slight arrogance, then nodded, giving him Karus' helmet.

"That's just the proof we need. Take this and you will become Captain."

Rakine took the helmet and slowly placed it on his head. The rebels applauded and shouted in joy as Rakine got promoted. He looked at all the rebels and some of the pilots walked up to him giving him many pats on the back. That chuckle and make him feel welcome among them. He turns back to me.

"What about you, Ven?"

"Don't worry about me. You're Rebel Captain now. Plus I'm not a fan of all the attention."

I watched as the rebels crowded Rakine and continued to cheer excitedly. I felt a sudden vibration in the Force and walked out of the room, to see a brief manifestation of Karus.

"Rakine seems happy." He chuckled.

"Somewhat," I felt Rakine walk out of the room behind me. I turn to him and he stares at Karus.

"Karus, why did you keep many secrets from me? Why didn't you tell me that you learned the Force?"

"I learned many things about the Force when we were young Padawans, and some of them I thought that if you had found out about-" he spoke in a quieter tone "-I thought you would become a very great threat."

"I've learned aspects in both Light and Dark sides of the Force. I've fought in many missions against the Empire in the past. And levitation is a big deal?" He chuckled. "Look, if everyone learned this, we'd have Jedi and Sith flying through the air like birds, swinging their blades at each other as their robes dragged through the air behind them. Even if it was a very difficult trick, it's ridiculous. I don't know who told you that the Force has a power to fly, but I'm pretty sure they tricked you. No way is there any power that can give one the ability to hover in the air." He shook his head and chuckled more. "It's utter nonsense."

"Rakine, I thought you would understand-" Karus tried to plead to him.

"I understand." He stopped chuckling. "I'm not saying you were high when we were young, but I'm pretty sure your master was on some kind of mushrooms when he taught you about the Force."

Karus' Force spirit stood straight up, with a blank, yet unamused look on his face.

"Don't believe me, do you?"

Rakine shook his head.

"I don't think there is anybody that has actually tried or could have hovered in the air."

I try to think about what Karus has been telling us and something comes into my mind. I remember back on Hoth, when Rakine and I fought against the Sith Lord Sorin, in the room full of different types of lightsabers. Sorin jumped away from us and hovered up in the air, briefly hanging above us slowly circling us. Rakine pulled out his blaster and shot at Sorin and hit him, then Sorin swooped down at us swinging his greatsaber at us, before landing back on the floor.

"Sorin," I turned to them. "Lord Sorin did that in our final fight."

"Sorin?" Rakine looked at me confused.

"You don't remember the old man floating in the air on Hoth? You shot him with your blaster." I shook my head, chuckling.

"I remember, but I never would have remembered him-" he realized now, "-floating in the air."

Karus smirked at Rakine.

"Now you believe me?"

Rakine shrugged and held his head at the sides, holding his hands flat on his temples.

"How is that possible?"

"It's Sorin," I sighed. "He was a powerful Sith, insanely strong in the Dark Side of the Force, to stopping people from dying, to outright possession. If anybody in this galaxy could have done it, it was him."

"But now he's gone." Rakine shook his head slowly. "You killed him, and his legacy is now left buried under the snowy surface of Hoth."

I sighed again.

"Choices. If I had spared him, we might have been able to have learned some more aspects of the Force, some of the strongest ones. But then again, he might have just killed us there."

"It doesn't matter," Rakine lowered his hands to his hides and put them against his hips, standing akimbo. "If he lived he would've killed us anyway. Plus I don't need to learn anymore aspects of the Force. I'm already powerful enough."

Karus' spirit lowered his head and stared down at the floor.

"Well it's proven, levitation has existed as a Force trick. But what good would it do, eh?"

Rakine and I shrugged.

"It's alright, Karus. Trust us, were fine without this power.

"I see," Karus grinned. "Well, I wish you two the best of luck, to continue to fight against the Empire. Bring back the Old Republic and restore peace across the galaxy."

We both nodded as Karus' apparition disappeared, and his presence had fully faded, both physically and through the Force. I turned to Rakine.

"Do you suggest we try to learn more about this?"

He shook his head.

"I see no point in trying something that only one person has accomplished. What chances do we have to master it anyway?"

I nodded slowly and started to think of Rooda back on Ikana.

"She's all alone on Ikana. She doesn't have any way to communicate with me."

"She doesn't have a communicator?"

"You only have me this one." I pulled out my communicator and showed it to him.

"Well then, we better get her something, right?" He walked back into the council chamber and both Mon Mothma and Rulus Knil-Wean turned to him.

"Yes Rakine?"

"Lord Venison has a need for more communication. He has a friend in a far away system in a corner of the galaxy, and they have no way to interact with each other."

"Well we will have something arranged for you, Lord Venison." She turned to a rebel pilot and he removes a communicator from his belt and handed it to me.

"Thank you," I nod and take the communicator from him.

"Should we head to the Ikana system to give her one of them, so you can briefly give her updates on the Rebel Alliance?"

I nod and walk out of the council chamber down the hallway into the main hangar room. I open the doors of my ship, the _Zant's Nightmare_ and I sit in my pilot seat. I close the doors behind me as Rakine gets aboard his ship and starts his engine. Both our ships pick up off the ground, the large metal hangar door opens, and the ships leave through the door and fly up through the air. I activate the ship's antler-shaped sails, Rakine's ship accelerates through the atmosphere, and both our ships glide through space and off toward the Ikana system.


	28. Chapter 28

The _Nightmare_ flew down between the walls of the large canyon that stretches across Ikana's planet surface. I landed the ship back on the sandy ground and Rooda walked slowly to the ship. I opened the doors and she ran up to me, wrapping her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly.

"You've no idea how much I've missed you." She rubbed her muzzle against my chest and looked over my shoulder as Rakine's ship landed on the canyon floor, next to the river the runs parallel to the canyon's walls. His door opened and he stepped out into Ikana's surface for the first time.

"So this is Ikana?" He looked around. "Kinda empty isn't it?"

"Rakine," Rooda cleared my throat as she stood straight up, letting go of me and putting her arms to her sides.

"Rooda," he nodded, acknowledging her presence as he walked over to us.

"How is the cave, Roo?" I looked to her.

"I've been working on it for some time. After you left, I wanted to surprise you." She grabbed my cybernetic hand and walked to the entrance, which now had a large makeshift door, made up of strong wooden boards. "Come take a look at the front door. I think this is way better than the things we had on Zant. Forget cloth when you have an actual door. And look," she opened and closed the door. "Hinges. Plus it fits the size of the cave entrance."

"Wow, Rooda. You made a door," Rakine chuckled jokingly. She stares at him unamused as she opened the door to show us the interior of the cave.

"As you can see-" she expanded her arm to the wall to show us that the cave walls have carved deeper and smoothened out, "-I've expanded the cave a little more. Smoothened the walls to give it a more homey look."

"How did you carve the walls flat?" I asked her.

She ignited a crimson lightsaber, and she jumped up high in the air, slicing through a stone stalactite and dropping back down to the cave floor, catching the severed stalactite.

"Oh," I nodded. "That's how."

"And with the left over stones I carved from the cave's walls, floors, and ceiling, I not only smoothened the cave, but look." She walked over to a makeshift table and three chairs made out of stone. "I've made makeshift furniture out of the leftover stone."

"Interesting, but how did you manage to weld the stone together to make the furniture?" Rakine stared confused.

"I melted them just a bit with my blade, then held the stones together. And after they cooked down, they welded together."

"Smart," Rakine nodded.

I kept looking around the partially empty cave.

"It could used some more interior design, could it?"

"Well yeah. I haven't had all the time to actually finish it. But now that you're back, you can help me right? We can finish our home, Eyt." She held one of my cybernetic hands and smiled. "Here we could finally live where it's safe and far away from all the troubles that we've been trying to escape from."

I gulped.

"About that, see the thing is Roo-"

"Oh God," she let go of my metal hand and her deer ears lowered sadly. "You're not leaving again are you?"

"I'm sorry, Rooda," I put my metal hand on her shoulder and she looked back at me, "but the Rebel Alliance needs our help-"

"Your help." She pulled away from me, wiping her face and glared at me. "Now that we could finally be alone and safe from the Empire, you're leaving me alone here while you go back there to risk your life even more." She sighed. "Look at you. You're half machine, and those are all permanent injuries from your last missions against the Empire." She put one of her hoofed hands on the forehead and began to weep.

"Rooda, I'm sorry-"

"If you want to go back so badly, why don't you just go?! You now only care about the Rebel Alliance, and to keep me safe and out of your personal rendezvous with the Empire, you leave me here on an empty desert planet alone, with no form of transportation or communication!"

"We came here with another communicator, so you can sulk talk to us," Rakine stepped in between me and Rooda.

"It doesn't matter. Eyt-" she looked at me with tears in her eyes,"-why can't you just stop worrying so much about the Empire and at least spend some time with me? You even said here the both of us would be happy and safe together."

"I-" I stop myself from talking and watch as Rakine backed out from between us. "Go Rakine. Go back to Yavin 4. Tell them I'm not coming back. I have a lot of catching up to do here."

Rakine nodded and walked out of the cave, holding the entrance's door behind him and closed it to where it was open an inch, leaving me and Rooda somewhat alone in the cave as he stood outside.

"Rooda, I know I said here we'd both be safe, and I really do care about you. I just thought with the Empire gone, we could save the whole galaxy too. I know that-"

She sighed and interrupted me with a sudden kiss. She had leaned toward me and rest her soft hand on my right shoulder, I looked at her as she closed her eyes, she was savoring the moment. I raised up my cybernetic left hand and stroked it against her cheek. I closed my eyes as I am overwhelmed with the strong feeling, the same as Rooda feels

right now. Love. We are both caught in the moment and I feel Rakine's presence arrive as he leans against the wall, next to the door left cracked open. I hold one hand out and slam the door with the Force and Rakine backs away from the wall. Rooda stops kissing me and pulls her face away from me, she opens her eyes and rubs above my eye with her thumb, smudging some dirt off my head.

"I can't afford to lose you, Eyt. Not after all the trouble you're already gone through." She lowered her hand and spoke quietly. "Please stay with me. Help me get this project done quicker, and if you promise me two things-"

"What is it, Roo?" I looked at her as she put one hand behind her back and raised the other.

"One," she extended one finger, "I you ever want to go back out there and save the Empire, I won't stop you. You can always go and be a hero. But promise me you will be careful. Promise me you will come back alive."

I nodded.

"I promise."

"Two," she extended the other, "well, as you could have already figured out, remember that I will always be here for you. No matter what happens, remember that I will always love you, Eyt."

I managed a small grin.

"I will always remember, Roo."

She took one communicator from me and brushed it, before setting it on the stone table behind her.

"Now, Eyt, I will present you with the same choice again," she spoke calmly, and this time, not irritated. "Will you say here with me, so we can finish this cave, our home? Or are you going back out there, into the great unknown, where the Empire waits to hunt you and kill you?" She started to worry, and so did I.

I stood there silently, thinking about the choice she gave me. My two options are both very difficult to pick from, either stay or leave. I keep thinking about what would the effects of each choice be. If I stayed, the cave soul be finished quicker, Rooda would fully trust me, and the Rebel Alliance might lose their trust in me. They'd probably think I'm not loyal to them anymore. Now if I left, Rooda would stay here alone, with the communicator, but she wouldn't be able to trust me anymore, and the Rebel Alliance will recognize my loyalty to them. I kept thinking of these choices and their effects and I speak quietly to myself.

"Choose your actions carefully."

I notice Rooda staring at me confused as I suffer to decide. I sigh and take a step toward her.

"Alright, I'll stay. I'll stay here with you so we can finish our cave. I don't want you to feel like I'm abandoning you every time I leave, so I'll stay here longer-"

She desperately hugged me and tears of joy streaked down her cheeks.

"It's okay, Eyt. You don't have to explain anything. I understand."

I slowly put one of my metal hand over her side and I softly fest it on her back. I feel Rakine's presence leave entirely and I hear his ship take off the ground and fly out of the canyon.

"I still hope they can trust me," I thought to myself. By staying here, I'm not fighting for the Rebel Alliance, against the Empire. It's like taking a while off without their consent, without their approval. The communicator on the stone table vibrates and as I walk to it and start it up, a hologram of Mon Mothma appears.

"Mon Mothma-"

"Have you given your dear deer friend a communicator yet?"

I looked to her, she looked down to the floor, her ears lowering. I turned back to Mon's image and responded quietly.

"Yes."

"Wonderful. We will expect you back to Yavin 4 shortly."

I slowly shook my head.

"No," I muttered quietly.

"No?" Mon Mothma looked at me surprised.

"I can't come back." I turned to Rooda as she stepped to my side, putting one of her hands on my shoulder. "After I returned there from Ikana, I haven't any communication with her in a long time."

"Your point is?" Mon started to grow somewhat irked.

"I have-" I looked at Rooda and she smiles back at me. "-We have a lot of catching up to do at the moment. I'm sorry Mon Mothma, but I can't return to Yavin 4."

"You've not got into a relationship with her, have you?" She put her hand on her forehead as she looked at Rooda.

"I'm afraid so," I grinned and put one hand over her shoulder as we stood close together.

"And with your apprentice."

"No," I shook my head. "Not my apprentice. If we're going to maintain a good relationship, I think I'd prefer her being my girlfriend over apprentice." Rooda blushes as she rest her head on my shoulder. "We have a lot of catching up to do. That's why I can't come back to Yavin 4."

"I see." She took her hand off her forehead and held it to her side. "Well, if you two are positive you want to stay out there where you're safe from the Empire, then-" she gasped. " I'll try to pacify the Rebel Alliance, make sure no trouble stirs."

"Pacify?"

"They all think you're one of the Alliance's best fighters. If you simply left, they would start rioting and think of you as a traitor. I fear that the Rebel Alliance would unravel and your name would be mud from Yavin to Endor." She rubbed her forehead nervously and began to plead to me. "I'm sorry, Lord Venison, about your relationship with her, but now, we have a risk of a potential crisis. The Rebel Alliance needs you. Please come back now, and this predicament will be avoided. Please Lord Venison."

Mon Mothma's hologram vanished and the communicator turned off. I looked at Rooda nervously and she was about to weep, getting her head off my shoulder and walking away.

"Rooda, I know I said I'd stay here with you, but-"

"The Alliance needs you." She turned to me, wiping her cheeks. "You should just hurry."

"I'm not leaving you here alone." I sighed and opened the door, still looking at her. "So you won't have to be alone, I would like you to come with me."

"You want me to come with you, back to the rebel base on Yavin 4?" She looked around at the hollowed cave, stones covering most of the floor. "Alright, I guess decorating this cave can wait."

I grinned and opened the door, she walked over to me and I trusted to comfort her.

"Don't worry Roo. When I go back to Yavin to calm everyone down, to try and bring peace to them, and the galaxy, well come back here, where we can finish creating our home."

"I know," she nodded as she opened the doors of the ship and walked in.

I followed after her and closed the doors behind me. I sat in the pilot's seat and Rooda sat in the seat next to me. I started the _Nightmare_ off the ground and flew it out of Ikana's vast canyon and into the night sky, back toward the Yavin system.

"I hope that the Rebel Alliance will already be fully pacified before we get there," Rooda rubbed we shoulder nervously as she turned to me.

"I hope so too. I'm not looking forward to an angry mob with my name written on the Rebel Alliance's hitlist. Hopefully Mon Mothma and Rakine will have the situation covered before we get there."

I don't know if I just caused the fall of the Rebel Alliance, or if the message hasn't reached the base yet. Rooda and I pray that Rakine and Mon Mothma can send the message without any dosaster spreading across Yavin. But I just can't keep my hopes up.


	29. Chapter 29

I sailed the _Nightmare_ toward the Yavin system and deactivated the ship's large sails as we neared Yavin 4. Rooda looked at me in worry.

"I really hope that the Rebel Alliance has successfully been calmed down, if they were upset."

"So do I," I looked ahead as we passed through to the planet's atmosphere.

Rooda looked down to her waist.

"Oh, and this is yours," she took off the belt that I donated to her and she strapped it around my waist. "I made my own while I was alone on Ikana. It only took some cloth and rope." She pat her waist where her crimson lightsabers were fastened onto her makeshift belt.

"Thank you," I grin as I pulled out my lightsabers, my darksaber, and Sot-Kolok's lightwhip I kept after his death. I fastened them back on my belt back where they belong.

I took control of the ship as it flew down to the jungle's pyramid, where the hangar entrance is, and the hangar door opened, and I landed the _Nightmare_ on the hangar's floor. I got up and opened the ship's doors, Rooda and I walked out and into the hangar, Mon Mothma pleading to me.

"Hurry. The council chamber is in chaos. Rakine has managed to pacify the many rebels but some of them are sill angered by your temporary leave to Ikana."

I nod and run down the hall toward the council chamber. As we're slowly reaching the council chamber, I already hear violent shouting and fighting in the room. I reach the doorway and peek inside, to see the large rounded room was a wreck. Chairs and tables flipped, thrown, or broken. Men yelling at each other and at Rakine. Blaster bolts being fired and creating black burn marks on the ceiling and flat walls of the council chamber. I take a step in and clear my throat, Rooda staying around the corner to hide from the violence. The many faces in the chamber then turn to me and one of them shouts "Traitor!" and fires a blaster bolt at me. I quickly jerk my head to the left and the bolt hits the wall in the hallway. Another rebel shouts violently at us, and as I watch them act ferociously toward me. In an attempt to shut them all up and keep them in place, I scream in a sudden, unholy rage.

"STOP!" I take a step back out of the room and raise a hand up, with the Force, stopping the rebels in their tracks. Everyone stops moving but Rakine, Mon Mothma, and Rulus Knil-Wean stand in the way of the rebels, stopping them from trying to attack me. Rooda comes from behind the wall and comes into the room, standing by my side.

"Now listen, rebels. All of you. I know I left Yavin to give my friend here the communicator which you have given me. She was all alone on a desert planet with nobody with her to keep her company. And as I came back to her to give her said communicator, she came to me." I turned to Rooda and put my hand on her shoulder, her head turned to me. "She was saddened, and she didn't want me to leave her again, she wanted me to stay with her. And who could blame her?"

I sighed.

"I have had a strong connection with her for some time now. We've been best friends in the past, and now, we've-" I looked at her with a smile, took my hand off her shoulder to hold her hand, then turned back to face the still outraged rebels, "-we have just taken our relationship to another level."

Rakine grins and mouths "I knew they would figure it out soon," to himself.

"Now I have always wanted to stay with her. But I had to come back to accept the task of going to Kommaden to take care of the Inquisitor, Sot-Kolok, who threatened to liberate the system."

Rulus glances at me and Rooda with a grin, noticing Rooda and my feelings for each other.

"I came back to her on Ikana and she didn't want us to be separated again, and neither did I. So I offered to stay with her for an extended amount of time, to catch up on our relationship. So she wouldn't be alone and afraid"

I glare at the rebels who tried to attack me, try seem to be calming down by the oration I continued to deliver to them.

"And now you try to attack me, you think I betrayed the Rebel Alliance."

I scoffed and shook my head.

"How ridiculous."

They all stand still, only staring at me, lowering their weapons.

"You swear your loyalty to the Rebel Alliance?"

I nodded.

"I have never left or betrayed the Rebel Alliance, so you have no need to attack me. I am always a loyal rebel and Sith Lord. I only wanted to spend some time with my dearest Rooda." I looked to her, still holding her hand, and I listened to the rebels murmur and whisper. "I hope that the Rebel Alliance can still trust me, despite my attempt to leave temporarily." Rakine steps toward us, still keeping an eye on the other rebels.

"I understand perfectly," he nodded. "But the other rebels wouldn't listen to me. I'm glad you came here to talk some sense into them." The rebel that fired at me dropped his blaster and clasped his hands together, pleading.

"I'm so sorry, Lord Ven. Please don't kill us for misunderstanding."

I chuckled.

"Now why would I do that? I'm a Sith Lord, yes, but I'm not stooping low as to kill my fellow rebels," I glanced at everyone in the room.

"But Vader," another rebel spoke up, "he's another Sith Lord yeah?"

I nodded.

"While Vader and I are both Sith Lords, he is an Imperial. He is the real evil we've been trying to stop. As for me, the Sith and the Jedi are just names. Two different cultures of warriors, both with the knowledge of the Force and training in lightsaber combat. They are both very similar, but also very different. For Instance, the Sith rely on their power and their strength-"

"And they are emotionally opposite to the Jedi," Rakine added. "The Jedi are not allowed to love or be connected to any other person. The Sith however, are allowed to feel such emotion. That's why you're still in love with Rooda."

I looked at the ground with a nervous chuckle.

"Is that really a part of it?"

"Heck yeah. That explains also why the Sith have a stronger connection to their apprentices. Darth Sidious treats his apprentice Darth Vader much like a son."

"What about you, Rakine?"

"I walk the Grey Path, the middle ground, I am neither Jedi nor Sith. I can do as I please." He gave me a slightly cocky smirk.

"Oh, Rakine," Rooda shook her head with a chuckle. "Even when you wear the helmet of a Rebel Captain, you're still as cocky as when we met you on Zant."

He grinned.

"Why are you wearing that helmet?" She looked at him curiously. "Where's Karus?"

"To make a long story short," Rakine started, "he's dead. I took his place as Rebel Captain now."

Rooda stared both in confusion utter surprise.

"Karus is dead?"

"He was torn apart by an Inquisitor, the same one Ven mentioned fighting on Kommaden."

"Oh," Rooda sighed and looked sadly at the crowd. "It's such a shame when a rebel falls."

"Especially one of our dearest friends." Mon Mothma sulked. "But the Rebel Alliance will remain strong."

"Karus would want us to continue fighting against the Empire," Rakine put a hand on Rooda's shoulder. "Everything will be okay. We will all get through this togeter and we will bring peace to the galaxy."

"Ahem to that Captain!" A rebel pilot stood up and threw his arms in the air. All the other pilots got up and whooped excitedly. Mon Mothma managed a small smile but remained serious.

"We need to keep an eye on that nefarious Empire. We might not be able to take out the space station they're building. It's much too risky and dangerous. And the Star Destroyer cannot possibly be infiltrated without anyone being noticed." She thought silently. "The Empire might still be trying to liberate systems, and that's where we need a plan." She turned on a large hologram of the galaxy, the Empire and it's expansions marked in red." The Empire has taken control of the Deep Core, the center of the whole galaxy. They still intend to move the galactic north and west, where the Kommaden system lies."

"We practically saved Kommadem." A Rebel stood up.

"No." Rulus Knil-Wean stood up. "We got my system to system join in on the Rebellion, providing weapons and defense for the Rebel Alliance. But we still need to help them defend the galactic northwest. The Empire knows that the mission to liberate my planet was a failure, so they plan to fully invade it and take the system itself. We still have a chance to stop ten and defend the planet. Kommaden will be a significant victory for us. Defending it stops the Empire from expanding westward, keeping them out of Wild Space, where all the unknown territories exist in the galactic west."

"We need to go back, do we?" I looked at the holographic galaxy.

"I'm afraid so," Mon Mothma frowned. "Captain Rakine?"

"Yes, Mon Mothma?"

"Assemble the rebel fighters for attack. I have a plan. The Empire will arrive in TIE ships, and you and your pilots must help defend Kommaden by preventing them from reaching the planet's surface."

"Yes. And what about Lord Venison and Rooda?"

"She should stay here," I looked at her with worry. "I don't want to risk losing you."

Rooda sighed.

"Okay," she picked up a chair, thrown onto the floor and set it on its legs, then she sat down on it silently. She leaned forward and rest her head on her hands and stared at the floor below her.

"Captain Rakine," Mon Mothma continued, "sneak Lord Venison and the rebel troops onto the planet surface to defend the planet from the ground. I have a feeling that there will be a strong force to battle. The Empire wouldn't give up so easily."

Rakine nodded and looked at all the Rebel pilots as they put their helmets on.

"Battle time, boys. Are you ready for a war?"

The rebel pilots cheered battle cries and started to walk out of the council chamber. I watched as the rebels cleared out of the room. I turned behind me to see Rakine, Mon Mothma, and Rulus Knil-Wean standing in the center of the empty, but wrecked chamber. Rooda still sat on a chair near the center of the room.

"Rooda," I walked back over to her, "I'll be back, and hopefully we can go back home to Ikana." I smiled as I rubbed the back of her soft head as se looked up at me.

"Just be careful." She lifted her head up to me and gave me a small kiss.

"Beautiful," Mon Mothma smiled as she watched me and Rooda.

"Young love is so touching," Rulus nodded.

"I predicted those two would get together from the start," Rakine shrugged and walked out of the council chamber, buckling the straps of his helmet, holding it to his head as he left the room.

Rooda pulls her face from me and I stood up straight, holding her hand.

"I will be back," I smiled to her. "I promise." I let go of Rooda's hand and turned to the door, walking out of the council chamber after Rakine, leaving the three of them alone in the room.

I could hear Rulus and Mon start talking about the battle and how they pray for it to be a success. Rooda sighs as I turn the corner to the hallway and toward the hangar, where the rebel pilots gear up and start their rebel ships for the space battle. Rakine turns to me and he chuckles.

"So, Ven, are to ready for battle?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," I chuckle and pat the lightsabers on my belt. "Rooda gave me my belt back. Remember when I let her take it after she made we black outfit?"

"I know," Rakine nodded. "I want you to meet one of the rebel pilots." He turned to a group of rebel pilots whistled. "Knuks! Front and center."

In the group of pilots, one of them stepped out and walked over to us. He was a thin, bald-faced young man walked over. The pilot looked more like a young adult when he got closer. He was shorter than Rakine and he had short black hair, with a large white streak. The boy had an intense feeling of fear in his eyes. He was not ready for the battle.

"Lord Venison," he nodded.

"This is Knuks Depirts. This kid is one of the Rebel Alliance's best pilots. He's been flying ships since he could walk, so he says." He pats his shoulder and chuckled. "You ready for the big battle, boy?"

The young pilot slightly nodded, but I could sense his fear, and I'm sure Rakine could too. We knew this young one was afraid. He didn't know if he was going to live or die.

"Is this really one of the Rebel Alliance's pilots?" I asked Rakine. "This kid doesn't seem ready for such action like a battle in space."

"I'm only a little nervous, but I'm ready." Knuks tightened the helmet on his head. "I'm ready to help bring honor to the Rebel Starfighter Corps."

"Starfighter Corps?" I looked to Rakine.

"It's what all the pilots of the Alliance represent. The Starfighter Corps it the army of the Rebel Alliance, we all fight in all the starfighters in the military hangar. From A-Wings to X-Wings, Y-Wings," he began to joke, "and any other Wings you can think of."

"Is this really what the Captain has to do? Lead the armies of the Rebel Alliance? This is a pretty big job for you, Rakine."

Knuks chuckled.

"All right then," I notice behind Rakine as pilots start to climb into the ships and strap into the pilot seats, putting on headphones as they started the ships. I point over Rakine's shoulder and he turns around to see them getting ready. Two large ship fill up with Rebel troops, the ones who would aid me on the planet surface.

"Right. Time to go." He ran toward a ship and Force jumped up into the pilot's seat, starting it up. He put on a big pair of headphones and flew the ship out of the hangar. Knuks ran towards another ship, started it, and followed Rakine and the rest of the Starfighter Corps out of the hangar doors and into the air.

I walked toward my _Nightmare_ and I opened its doors, sat in the pilot's seat, and flew it out behind the Starfighter Corps. A holographic image of Rakine appeared on a circular portion of the desk in the pilot's area.

"All rebel pilots, that ship following us contains Lord Venison. As we reach Kommaden, protect him and the rebel ground troops at all costs. We need to get them onto the planet surface to fight the battle there."

The ships start pulling back slowly and pulling to the sides. I slowly make my way to the center of the Corps with the large ships containing the troops, and they circle my ship as if to protect my ship from any attacks. My ship and the troops were well protected in one of the teams of ships, the Red Squadron of the Corps, as the rest of the fleet flew ahead of us.

"And may the Force be with us all," Rakine's holographic image faded.

The ships all flew through the atmosphere and toward the Kommaden system, where a great battle awaits us all.


	30. Chapter 30

The rebel fleet has reached the Kommaden system, and we have spotted Imperial TIE Fighters about to reach the planet.

"There they are," Rakine spoke to all the rebel pilots as we neared the Imperial fleet. "The Imperial TIE Fighters. Lord Venison, lead the rebel troops down to the planet surface to defend the planet below. We'll stay up here blocking TIE advances."

"Yes, Rakine," I turned the _Nightmare_ out of the rebel fleet and down toward Kommaden, the ships carrying the ground troops following after me.

"Here they come," I hear Rakine's last words before the hologram fades and the TIE Fighters start shooting at them.

"Good luck Rakine," I whisper to myself as the rebel starfighters start shooting back at the TIE Fighters. I quickly accelerated my ship toward Kommaden in hopes of getting the ground troops there safely. We headed down through the planet's atmosphere and as we reached the large, twisted metal forest, I steered clear of the metal spires that dominate the skyline, taking the safest path and avoiding all the vast towers and beams that cover the planet. I led the troops down toward the soft, dark brown soil that makes the planet's surface and the ships glide just over the ground. I led the ships toward Kommaden City and landed my ship deep in the metal forest past the outskirts. The large ships landed nearby, concealing my ship from the city's view. I left my ship and as the doors closed behind me, I watched as the rebel troops marched out of the large ships, all carrying blasters, ready for combat. A captain walked out with the rebel troops and shook my hand with a firm grip.

"Lord Venison," he grinned. "I hope you're ready to help the people defend their planet."

I nodded as he stopped shaking my hand.

"Tell your troops to follow me to the Kommaden City. The city is where the Empire is trying to invade, and so we must get there before they do."

He nodded and turned to his soldiers.

"You heard him men. To the City!"

All the men began marching to Kommaden City and the Captain and I walked alongside the troops.

"What is your name, Captain?"

"Antilles," he nodded.

"You don't look like a land fighter."

"I'm a pilot. But I volunteered to help maintain the rebels down here. I'd rather be up there, fighting alongside my fellow pilots." he pointed up to the sky where Rebel Starfighter Corps and Rakine are already fighting the TIE Fighters, the first Imperial offensive attack.

"Good man," I chuckle and pat Captain Antilles' shoulder. As we reach the city, the troops follow Antilles into the inner city. I stopped and pulled my communicator from my belt and opened it, Rakine appearing.

"Venison, any signs of the Empire on the surface?"

"Not yet. We just reached Kommaden City," I turn to my left as the men charge I to the city to unite with the Kommadenians as they ready the city's defenses.

"Well we're up here working on taking out the TIE Fighters-"

I suddenly turn to my right to see a TIE Fighter in flames, crashing into a metal beam tower and coming to hit the hard ground in a burst into flame and smoke.

"I see. Well, if the Empire does slip past you up there, we'll be ready for them down here."

"Perfect." The hologram of Rakine disappears and I put away my communicator and run into the city. The Kommadenians have gathered with the troops in the center. I walked up to one of the councillors.

"Have you been preparing weapons for the defense of your planet?"

"Yes, we have. We will not let the Empire take the Kommaden system, or the galactic northwest."

"Wonderful," I look up as a TIE Fighter swoops down and shoots at the city, green bolts marking the ground near us. One Kommadenian man fires a large purple blast from a large gun and the TIE Fighter explodes on impact, sending burning metal down to the ground. For and smoke fill the sky where the TIE was shot down.

"Proton torpedoes. That's the ticket," one rebel chuckled and the Kommadenians started arming themselves with these large weapons.

"But each PT-Launcher only has one shot, since we haven't made a reloading factor yet. We have about ten of these weapons ready." The councillor rubbed his temple, sighing. "We have to use these weapons wisely if we can successfully hold the Empire off."

"Proton torpedoes are very dangerous, be careful not to destroy anything in close proximity." Captain Antilles turned to all the Kommadenian rebels and they nod.

"We have too much armed forces," the rebel troop laughed. "We already won this war as it is. They might as well give up now."

* * *

Meanwhile in space above Kommaden, Rakine and the rebel fleet that make up the Starfighter Corps has been successfully destroying TIE Fighters while suffering few casualties. Rakine is feeling very confident in victory, but is beginning to fear that worse will come to Komadden.

"Keep destroying those TIE Fighters!" Rakine yelled over the headphones to his fellow rebels. "We can't let them reach Kommaden."

"Roger, Rakine," another pilot listened to the Captain's order.

Both the Empire and rebels kept firing away at each other, sending the opposer's ships in big, flaming explosions. The debris would drift in all directions, away from the fiery blast in the center. Some chunks of burning metal headed toward Kommaden, falling through the planet's thin atmosphere, through the metal beam tower forests and to the ground below.

* * *

The ground shook with every destroyed chunks of former TIE Fighters and Rebel starfighters falling and hitting the ground with heavy impact. The planet's large beams and towers swayed with each impact from a destroyed ship and fire and smoke flew from the towers.

"Keep your heads up, fellow rebels. Rakine is up there, keeping the Empire at bay, for now." I kept staring at the sky and watched the tiny orange dots of a ship explosion appear and die down in seconds.

"So your rebel fleet is up there fighting the Imperial fleet now?" The councillor ashes me as he stood next to me, watching the flames above Kommaden.

"Yes." But each explosion, I can't tell whether an Imperial TIE Fighter or a Rebel Starfighter had been destroyed.

"Look out!" Captain Antilles called out to the rebels as they back away from a falling chunk of metal and flame, coming from above the canopy of the massive metal forest, down to us. I stay still, refusing to move as it almost falls down to the surface, just over my head. As the large metal mass lands on the ground and chips into the planet's floor, right in front of me, I don't even flinch as its flames burst in all directions. I hold one hand to it and with the Force, I block the flames from hitting me or any of the Kommadenians or rebels. The fire circles around us as I concentrate with the Force, knowing I am the only person keeping us all alive from the blast. The flames eventually die down and as large pillars of smoke billow from the charred mass of metal, I stare in anger. I glare darkly at the ship's debris and my antler-sabers' long, black blades rise into the air as the insignia of the Rebel Alliance melts on the burning heap of metal in front of us all.

* * *

The TIE Fighters keep persisting and attacking the rebel pilots. After countless TIE fighters have been destroyed, and the Rebel Starfighter Corps begins to suffer many more casualties, the TIE Fighter Advanced has arrived. The mighty Sith Lord, Darth Vader, has joined the battle.

"Attention, rebels," Rakine started to warn the Rebel Starfighter Corps, "Darth Vader is among us. And he is going to be heavily protected. Try to get rid of the TIE Fighters as try will try to protect him. We need to stop him before he reaches Kommaden."

The fleets broke out in a furious flurry of ships and shots being exchanged to each other. Rakine kept avoiding being shot down by TIE Fighters by spinning, performing many midair corkscrews, and making sudden turns. Vader had been defended by too many TIE Fighters and it was frustrating for Rakine.

"Everyone get away from the TIE Fighters. I'm going to blast them all, Vader along with them."

All rebel starfighters began to fly away from the mass of TIE Fighters and Rakine fired a proton torpedo at the group, sending large numbers of TIE Fighters aflame. But Darth Vader had been unaffected by the blast and he headed straight down to Kommaden, quickly getting out of the fight in space. Rakine made a turn straight down to Kommaden, in a pursuit after Vader, through the metal forest. Vader started making turns and spinning through all the large beams and toward above Kommaden City with Rakine in hot pursuit. Rakine fired another proton torpedo, but missed Vader's TIE. The torpedo hit a beam tower and the entire tower exploded in front of Vader. As the tower fell toward the TIE, Vader made a quick juke and avoided the large, flaming metal tower and its protruding beams. Rakine flew past the fallen tower as it caught onto other large beams and suspended above the ground below, in a large flame. Vader took the opportunity to quickly reach the surface of Kommaden and make his way to Kommaden City. He had escaped Rakine's pursuit when the large metal tower split them up.

* * *

"The rebel fleet is losing pilots," I turned to Captain Antilles. "I hope Rakine is alright."

"He should be. He always escapes the face of danger, no matter the situation."

A TIE Fighter approached Kommaden City and another proton torpedo was fired at it. The TIE made a swift jerk to the side and avoided the torpedo as it brushed by and hit a tower behind it, creating a large, fiery explosion at the side of a tower. The TIE circled around and fired back at us, large laser blasts destroying the ground, and shooting and killing many rebels and Kommadenians. Antilles and I crouched down to avoid being shot down and rebels and Kommadenians started to run around, trying to avoid the shots from the TIE Fighter, dropping their weapons as they scurried. After gunning down many of the Rebels and Kommadenians, the TIE Fighter quickly landed on the ground and it's doors opened. Many other TIE Fighters landed down after the first and the rebels all scrambled for their weapons.

"They're here." I drew my lightwhip and darksaber. Darth Vader himself came out of the first TIE Fighter and he Force threw all the remaining rebels and their weapons off to the ground. Antilles, the Kommadenians, they all flew back and rolled across the floor of Kommaden City or hit the walls of its buildings, any of their weapons flying out of their grasp. I stood still, in the center of the city square, staring Lord Vader down, all my blades igniting, both on my head and in my hands.

* * *

"Damn it," Rakine pounded his hand on the armrest of the pilot's seat furiously. "Where did he go?! I just had him!" He continued to fly though the metal forest in search of Vader.

A stray TIE Fighter came down and chased after Rakine's ship and fired endlessly at him, eventually hitting an exhaust pipe. Rakine's ship started smoking and in his cockpit, he quickly removed his headphones from his head, unbuckled the cockpit's seatbelt and banged on the glass windshield, trying to break free of the cramped cockpit as his ship spiraled toward the ground with a trail of fire and smoke following behind the ship. He screamed loudly and with all his strength in the Force, he shattered the entire windshield in countless tiny shards just by holding his hand to it. One glass shard cut across his left cheek and he let out a slight groan, rubbing his cheek and staring at the bloody smudges on his fingertips. As the ship neared the ground, Rakine Force jumped out of the cockpit of the smoking ship, pulled out his lightsaber in a midair double flip, and landed on the soft ground of Kommaden on his feet, as his ship crashed onto the ground, at the base of a large metal beam tower, in a large burst of fire and smoke. Angered by his failure to stop Vader from escaping, his eyes darkened to the red and yellow Dark Side eyes. He only stared ahead as the fires crackled behind him and the large smoke pillar towered up to the air of the metal forest. As he held his lightsaber in his hand, he turned toward Kommaden City and began running over to hurry after Darth Vader.


	31. Chapter 31

"Darth Venison," Darth Vader chuckled. "I should have known you were the cause of all this mess. You truly do stand for the Rebel Alliance."

"Don't think you're strong enough to stop me now, Lord Vader." I growled lowly at the helmeted Sith Lord. "I've done many things that have greatly helped the Rebellion against your oppressive Empire."

Vader and I stared coldly at each other, our lightsabers drawn.

"Your Empire's mission to liberate Kommaden? I was there. The destruction of the Imperial ship that came here? I was there." I snarl at him and make a large threatening smile with my fanged teeth. "The death of Sot-Kolok, I was there!" I hold out the Inquisitor's lightwhip which I used to kill him, and showed it to Vader.

The TIE Fighters that landed in the back opened and units of stormtroopers ran out and cocked their guns, pointing them to me. Vader held a hand out to them.

"Stop. This one's mine." He turned to me and ignited his red blade. "So, you've revealed you're the little slab of meat who's been causing all the trouble here,"

"Aye, Darth Vader. It's all my doing." I grinned mischievously.

Vader pointed at me and made a crushing gesture with his hand.

"I find your actions very disappointing, Venison." He scoffed in ridicule. "Venison. What a truly ridiculous name. Yet ironic. After I finish your campaign here, you will live up to your name, as the wasted sack of deer meat you truly are."

I glare at him coldly, knowing what my name truly meant, and slowly walk toward him, ready for battle.

"I know what my name means, and I roam the galaxy with that name as my pride, my reputation. What drives me, knowing what Darth Venison can truly do to change everyone's lives. And nothing you can do or say will stop or distract me from stopping your Empire." I Force throw Vader into his TIE Fighter and turn to Antilles. "Gather the survivors into any fighter ships, help stop the Imperial attacks above."

"Yes, Lord Venison." Antilles helps get the rebels and Kommadenians on their feet and they start to evacuate to Kommaden City's hangar, leaving me alone with Darth Vader as he gets up from his impact with the TIE Fighter. He Force flips his way back into the city square and sticks his blade into the ground, landing in a kneeling position.

"I am slightly amused by you and how your little adventure got you here." Vader pulled his lightsaber out of the ground and slowly started to circle me. "Left your family behind. Turned to the Dark Side. Insulted the Empire. Joined the rebellion. Interrupted our goal for liberation. Killed our best Inquisitor. And you still want greater power."

"What other power could I need?" I rolled me eyes.

"I know why you suffer. Why you hate the Empire truly."

I only glared colder.

"Because we killed your village. All your friends, your family. Everyone you swore to protect. But you failed. You failed to save them." My anger began to rise more, and I hatred for the Empire and my hatred for Vader both increase dramatically. "Your chief. Your neighbors. Your mother and younger sibling too."

I notice Captain Antilles begins to pull out his communicator to record me yelling at Lord Vader, starting to keep a recorded holographic image of me and Vader in the Kommaden City square. If I can't show the galaxy how evil the Empire is myself, at least Captain Antilles is helping to record a message for the whole galaxy to see.

"You knew my family and my Zan-Deer friends were important to me. Everyone that lived in that village I had a connection to." I whisper to myself, "even mum." I speak loudly again. "My mother was the only person in that village I truly looked up to, after my father died."

Tears began to streak down from my eyes and I start lashing at Vader with my anger. In the corner of my eye, I see Rakine run into the city and stop at the town square entrance, watching me confront Vader in the center.

"I've tried so many times, spent so much time in my younger life, trying to impress my family, trying to prove I can do things right. And when I turned my back to them just once, you had killed them all, everyone I had left! You think the First Galactic Empire is so great and powerful, that it was meant to rule the galaxy. Yet you mercilessly end millions of innocent lives like we're worthless animals. Animals! My own mother was pregnant with a fawn when your army had gunned her down!" I began to cry out in rage, screaming at Lord Vader, more tears falling from my eyes. "You hear me, you ruthless, Imperial hunk of metal?! She wa-"

Vader held a hand out to me and began Force choking me, interrupting my rant and slowly lifting me off the ground. Antilles gasps in horror and I notice Rakine reaches for his lightsaber to help me, staring Vader down with all his anger, showing his Dark Side eyes. Antilles sighs in sympathy for my loss, and stops the holographic recording, before running back to reunite with the evacuating rebels.

"So was my dear Padmé when she died! I was too late to save her, as you were too late to save your mother." Vader focused his attention on me, letting the rebels go to escape, and join the fight in space. "Now Venison, hear me. There are some people that no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do to help the people you love and care about, but you can't save them! We both know the same pain, and I'm going to end yours!"

He pointed his lightsaber at me and I raised a hand and swung the lightwhip, it's blade wrapping around Vader's red lightsaber blade. I jerked the lightwhip and pulled his lightsaber out of his grasp and it hits the ground rolling. As he chokes me by crushing my neck tighter via Force, the tear streaks on my cheeks evaporate from my anger. Vader's leather glove starts to sizzle and small white columns of steam come from between his fingers. Rakine quickly intervenes and runs up to Vader by slashing to him with a swing of his lightsaber blade. Vader jumps back to avoid the swing and drops me to the ground, I cling to my life, gasping for air laying motionless on the floor of the town square I watch Rakine swing at Vader again and start shooting storms of Force lightning at him. Groaning in pain from the shocking effects of the lightning, Vader Force pulls his lightsaber back to him and blocks Rakine's lightning attack. Rakine stops shooting his Force lightning and they hold their blades down to their sides, staring each other down.

I turn to hear the sound of ships taking off and the rebel troops that joined me all left in five massive starfighters, green with three pairs of wings, and each wing had at least three laser cannons. I watched as a thick blue elliptical forcefield grew over the ship, to block off any attack, like blaster bolts or lasers from cannons. These ships were giant war machines, indestructible, and their sole purpose was to destroy all opposing forces. I watch as the ships flew up through the metal forest to aid our rebels in space. I turned to Rakine as he and Vader prepare to fight.

"Rakine-" I cough weakly and throw my lightwhip to him, he catches it in his free hand and ignites the long blade. The lightwhip's blade extended down to the ground in a long red coil next to his feet. The ground starts to sizzle under the lightwhip's blade as Rakine drags it across the surface of the town square, before lifting his arm and swinging the sharp, plasmic, red blade at Lord Vader. Sharply jerking the lightwhip in rapid swings, Rakine starts to overwhelm Vader, sending him backing away. The long red whip slashed the air violently and Rakine quickly spun in one circle, the whip swirling around him in a bright red disc.

The whip spun rapidly around Rakine as he glared at Vader with his Dark Side eyes. Vader lifts his lightsaber to stop the spinning lightwhip blade and it instantly wraps around his blade. He tugs aggressively on his lightsaber to try to pull the lightwhip out from Rakine's grasp, only for Rakine to keep his grip on the lightwhip tighter. Rakine throws his lightsaber in the air and with his free hand, Force throws Vader to the ground. Rakine's lightsaber drops back down and he catches it in his hand. Vader groans and Rakine towers over him, about to finish him, and as he swung the lightwhip blade down on Vader, he quickly rolled to the side, and the lightwhip struck against the ground. Vader jumps back up and Force pulls my darksaber out of my grasp, throwing me back down on the ground, and his lightsaber off the ground, igniting both of them in his hands.

I groan weakly, still rubbing my neck, feeling the right grip Vader has on me. But I watch as Rakine swung the lightwhip off the ground and jerked the long red snake sharply at Vader again, lashing it against my darksaber blade, which Vader took from me. Vader swung his red lightsaber and Rakine manages to block it with the blades from both the lightwhip and his lightsaber. Rakine jerked the lightwhip's blade out from Vader's grasp and swung it repeatedly, as if trying to tame a wild beast. Vader barely manages to block most of the attacks and groans loudly, deactivating my darksaber and holding the side of his helmet in pain. Thrashing at Rakine with his lightsaber, Vader holds out his hand with the darksaber, holding it by two fingers, and throwing Rakine back with he Force, deactivating his lightwhip in the air. Rakine and his weapons crash down to the ground and I try to get up myself. Vader walks slowly toward Rakine, about to finish him, but Rakine Force pulls the lightwhip to him and as it ignites, the long red blade slashes at Vader and slices across the armor of his shoulder and upper chest. Rakine Force jumps back up on his feet and turns to me, throwing his red lightsaber to me. He turns back to Vader and swings his arm above his head, the long whip blade circling around him in a large red disc. He Force throws Vader back with his empty hand and Vader flips through the air, landing on his feet, smoke starts to come from the damage on his helmet. Rakine slowly walks toward Vader and slashes at the ground with a sudden jerk of his arm, the long blade falls to the ground around him in a circle and he stares down at Vader's smoking helmet.

"That's it. He needs his helmet to breathe." Rakine turned to me and nods his head.

I swung Rakine's lightsaber at Vader and in a quick spin, I raise one leg and knock Vader's legs out from under him and he falls on his back. I swung at him and he swung a leg at me, kicking me in the jaw, the force if the kick sends me back a few steps. He starts to get back up and I swung the red blade at him, slashing across the armor on his back. He groans and drops my darksaber, I pull it to me and as he gets up, his black cape falls to the ground, completely sliced off just under the shoulders. Rakine Force jumps over me and swung the lightwhip around him, the long red blade grinding against Vader's lightsaber blade, sparks flying between Vader and Rakine, as their blade grind and bang against each other. Vader swing his blade and knocks the lightwhip's blade out of the way and aggressively kicks Rakine back. He turns to me and with the Force, picks me up, slams me against a building, and throws me down into the ground. I groan and hold my head in both my hands, and as I look up, Vader towers above me.

"You cannot easily stop me, deer. No matter how hard you try, I'm far superior both in combat and the Force. Accept it. I'm just better than you."

I Force kicked Vader in the stomach and sent him back into the arena with Rakine. Vader turned to Rakine and the long lightwhip blade swung at him again, he barely ducked under it. The lightwhip's blade left a gash across the front and side of Vader's helmet. Rakine continued to attack in circular motions with the lightwhip and Vader tried to repel the flexible blade. He starts raspy breathing and he looks at the lightwhip, Rakine looks down at it too. The weapon started smoking.

"The lightwhip is unstable," I moan weakly as I slowly tried to get back on my hoofed feet.

Rakine continued to use it in the battle and as it wrapped around Vader's lightsaber, he yanked it out of his grip and threw the lightwhip aside, disarming both of them. Rakine started using Force lightning on Vader with both hands and Vader crumpled to the ground, groaning and flailing his arms about, trying to stop the lightning attack. Rakine stopped and one of his hands formed into a fist, he picked up Vader by the shoulder and started punching away at his chest with his fist. His eyes still darkened in anger, Rakine threw Vader back to the ground and mercilessly shocked him more with the Force lightning, a snarling glare grew on Rakine's face. Vader Force pulled his lightsaber to him and ignited it, blocking the lightning and Rakine stopped, pulled the lightwhip back to him, and ignited it again. The lightwhip smoked more and Rakine stared at it with a sadistic grin. He continued to lash against Vader's blade and walk toward him, swinging his arm in circular motions and the lightwhip swung in circles around him. As it smoked more, and performing a Force backflip, landing away from Vader, and throwing the lightwhip at him. Vader is knocked back screaming as the lightwhip explodes in midair right in front of him, the chunks of the lightwhip's hilt fly down to the ground and the explosion even knocks Rakine on the ground on his back. The explosion dies down and Rakine jumps back up on his feet and turns to me, slowly picking me up with the Force.

"You okay?" he asked me and I nod silently, letting out a weak, injured moan. I pointed to the stormtroopers who camped at the TIE Fighters, as try open fire on us. We both activated our lightsabers and deflected the shots, I Force charged at them and started swiftly slashing them dead, dodging their blaster bolts and their falling bodies as they all crumpled to the floor. I deactivate my darksaber and pant as Rakine pat my shoulder.

"That'll do, Ven."

We both turned to Vader and see him on his back on the ground, rubbing his helmet with raspy breathing and groaning coming from the mouth piece. Rakine and I walked over to him and Rakine held a hand down to him, holding Vader down with the Force.

"Call of the Imperial invasion." Rakine glared at Vader with his Dark Side eyes.

"Never." He moaned quietly.

Rakine started Force choking him.

"I see how it is, Vader. If you refuse to retreat now and give up on invading Kommaden, you won't have a use for your helmet anymore."

Vader grabbed his throat and felt Rakine's invisible hand tightening.

"I-" one of Vader's hands reached for his lightsaber and I immediately swung my darksaber blade through his wrist and literally disarming him. He groaned more and Rakine glared on.

"Well, Vader?" Rakine tightened his grip and Vader started choking and gagging under his mask.

"I'll do it," he pleaded. "I'll get the Empire to retreat. The invasion is over-"

Rakine let go of Vader's neck and Vader slowly got up, still raspy from his helmet damage. He got up and walked to his TIE Fighter Advanced and turned to us, Force pulling his lightsaber to him.

"You're only lucky you won because you damaged my protective armor. I have only a few minutes of life support without my helmet fully working." He entered his TIE Fighter and flew up to the sky of Kommaden, through the large metal forest.

"Should we make sure he's telling the truth?" I looked at Rakine as his eyes returned to normal.

He shrugged then looked around.

"Where are the ground troops?"

"They left when I distracted Vader. They went to evacuate, to join the fight in space and transport all the Kommadenian weapons to Yavin for the Rebel Alliance to use them."

"Then Kommaden is left abandoned and defenseless now."

"Not entirely, the Kommadenians are staying here to continue making weapons for the Alliance's use. They will easily ship weapons to the base on Yavin 4 in secret and successfully defend this system without our presence now. They are tough, and their weapons can destroy entire fleets. They will be fine."

"Seems like it," Rakine nodded. "Well, we better get back. You said the troops took Kommadenian ships to join the space battle?"

"Yes. I have seen them leave the surface to fight. They have large warplanes. Those ships will completely destroy the Imperial fleet."

"Good, then the battle is won." He turned to the outskirts where my ship and the abandoned rebel ships lay. "Time to go back the ."

I nodded and we walked slowly put of the outskirts and we look at the Kommadenian citizens come out and stare at us. Some murmur and the group starts to cheer in celebration for the great victory.

"We are glad to have defended your system. But we must report the victory to the Rebel Alliance on Yavin 4." Rakine nodded his head.

"You have a whole army of fighters and a whole hangar of those fighter ships, yes?"

"We have only twelve of these ships completely made, ready for handling." A council member answered. "Your fleet has taken five of them for the battle in space. But these ships are a wonder made by the genius Kommadenian scientists made process our weaponry and technology."

"Wonderful." Rakine chuckled. "You should have no problem defending this system and the galactic west from any further Imperial threats."

They nodded.

"Glad to see that the Battle of Kommaden was a success. Now the entire Wild Space is safe from Imperial harm." Rakine turned to me. That should include the Zant and Ikana systems."

I sighed in relief.

"The Wild Space is safe from the Empire now," the council member nodded. "From the corners of the galaxy, to the Endor system in the galactic southwest."

Rakine and I looked at each other with grins.

"Should we report back to Yavin?"

"Yes," Rakine turned to the Kommadenians. "Thank to all for your help as contribution to the Rebel Alliance. We are now one large step closer to defeating the Empire. But we must go back now, to report the success of this battle."

They nodded and a Kommadenian child walked toward me, staring up at me with her bright yellow eyes, smiling at me. She had bright turquoise skin, with a flat nose and a thin neck. She wore a dark crimson robe with white sleeves.

"You protected our home. Now we protect you. What is your name?"

"Me?" I looked at the Kommadenian girl and softly pat her diamond-shaped head with my cybernetic hand and I kneeled down to her as she hugged me, standing on my knees.

"Yes you, silly deer." She giggles as she wrapped her arms around my neck. "And you." She pointed at Rakine with one finger.

"Both of our names?" He looked down at the little girl.

She nodded.

My name is Yalu," she smiled.

I picked up the girl and put her back on the ground on her feet and I chuckled as I stood up.

"I have two names. Which do you want to know?"

"What do the rebels call you?" She asked me as she looked up at me.

I turned to Rakine and he nodded. I turned back to her and answered.

"Venison," I grinned. "Lord Venison."

She giggles and looked up at Rakine.

"Rakine," he chuckled as he pat her head.

"Venny and Rakine," she smiled. "The heroes of Kommaden." She giggled as she ran back to her family in the crowd of Kommadenian citizens as they looked at us.

"I kinda like the sound of that," I turned to Rakine with a chuckle.

He nodded and folded his arms, and with one finger, he pointed to the left to where my Nightmare remains.

"Right," I nodded and we walked off, hearing the Kommadenians begin cheering for us, for saving their system.

We walked to the outskirts of Kommaden City and toward my ship, the door opening for us. I entered and sat in the pilot's seat as Rakine stayed outside, turning to the rebel ships and waving his hand with the Force. The rebel ships turned on and he fully entered the _Nightmare_ , the doors closing behind him. The _Nightmare_ took off the ground and the rebel ships followed after us, Rakine stood in the back of the main room, closing his eyes and with the Force, still flying the ships behind us. The ships flew through the metal forest of Kommaden and into space, through the atmosphere. The rebel starfighters were already gathered and the pilots all celebrated in their cockpits as the Imperial TIE Fighters had all retreated. I chuckled and I knew that they won the battle in space as well. I flew the _Nightmare_ back toward Yavin 4, and the starfighters all followed after my ship and Rakine's Force piloted ships, to rejoin the rest of the Alliance. Where Mon Mothma, Rulus Knil-Wean, and Rooda wait for us to return.


	32. Chapter 32

I flew the ship into the main hangar of the rebel base and Rakine slowly flew the rebel ships gently to their landing spots. He sighed in relief as they landed and groaned.

"Well that was exciting. I need a rest." He took off his rebel pilot helmet.

"Well, you just carried two heavy ships with the Force on an entire flight to Yavin." I chuckled.

The Nightmare landed in the hangar of Yavin 4 and the doors opened, Rakine and I sighed as we stepped out.

"So good to be back." Rakine smiled.

"So good to have to you back," Mon Mothma grinned and she watched the other Rebel pilots flew their starfighters toward their hangar. I looked down to the floor, thinking about how I ranted on at Vader, about my family. I started walking out of the main hangar toward the council chamber where I expected to see Rooda, sill in the chair. She wasn't in there, she was gone. Only Rulus Knil-Wean was in there. She was straightening out the chamber, fixing up the mess that the rebels left.

"Something bothering you, Lord Venison?" She looked to me as she set up the chairs back on their legs.

"Just- something from my past," I sulk as I sat down in a chair and she walks over to me.

"I know that face anywhere," she said as I looked up to her and she sat down on my left, next to me. "You miss someone."

"My family."

Rakine entered the room.

"Ven, have you found Rooda yet-" he stared down at me as Rulus sat next to me. "Hey, what's wrong? It's your family isn't it?" He sat down to my right.

"I wish I could have saved them."

"Hey, don't put this on yourself," Rakine looked at me sympathetically.

"I just wish I could've done something." I stared at the floor, I almost feel my anger towards myself rising and my voice grows louder. "I tried to do something." I calmed myself down and said quietly to myself, but loud enough for them to hear. "I wasn't good enough."

Rakine and Rulus pat my back to try and pacify me.

"Vader told me that no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't save them. He said I couldn't do anything."

"Hey, you weren't there. That's all." Rakine said as He stared down. "Don't think about what Vader said-" he muttered but we both heard him "-even though it was true."

Rulus turned to Rakine and glared at him with her orange eyes. He chuckled nervously and gulped.

"Sorry."

"He's right. I couldn't do anything to save my family. Not my mother, or my father."

"Your father?" Rakine turned to me. "You never mentioned him."

"My father had died just a week before you came to Zant. He was the Head Warrior of Randin back then. Rooda and I were his best fighters and he proudly trained us since we were both fawns. Rooda and I grew up to be best friends, but due to our positions we were meant to show no emotions. We couldn't look each other in the eye or smile or laugh, or show our emotional feelings for each other. The more we kept our true feelings secret inside, the worse it got. Then one day, we were hunting for spiders in the buttes of the desert with my father, to use the spiders' corpses to feed our people back home. Then those damned arachnids attacked."

Rulus and Rakine watched as I held my head with my metal clawlike hands, scratching the backs of my large ears.

"Rooda and I tried to help but we were too late. They tore him apart. My own father, and I watched him die!" I yell angrily and blame myself for not being able to save him.

Rulus looked down to the floor, saddened.

"Wow, Ven-" Rakine stared at me. "That's horrible."

I nodded slowly, trying not to suffer an emotional breakdown like the one I had with Vader in the town square.

"After he died I had to carry my family's pride and honor. Each day I was out hunting with Rooda, slaughtering the spiders that killed my father. My mother had to take care of herself and my soon-to-be sibling."

"Your sibling?" Rulus turned to me. "What do you mean "soon-to-be?"" she gasped and covered her mouth. "You mean-" she stared in horror.

I nodded.

"She was accompanied mostly by the fawn she carried while I was out bringing honor to the family."

"So your mother- she really was-." He turned to me, saddened by the thought and I nodded slowly. "Ven, I'm so sorry."

Rulus covered her face and a tear came from her right eye.

"That's absolutely horrible."

I sighed, after thinking about the loss of my whole family, in a matter of weeks. Tears formed in my eyes.

"That fawn would've been my father's last gift to her. Without him, she was left alone, an emotional wreck, and the other villagers had to help her around. That's how the days went after that. Until you came."

"Until I came?" Rakine stared at me.

"When you first arrived and you met me and Rooda, and everyone in the village Randin. Then came the Force and training came in, all the way until where we are now."

"If I had known about all this sooner, if I had known you had to look out for your family and protect the village, I never would've asked you." Rakine sank his head in his hands and shook his head side to side.

"Hey," I turned to him. "But you did. And I think if you didn't get me into all this, I think the Empire would've taken Kommaden, Sot-Kolok would be successfully liberating systems, I never would've figured out my true potential . And without you, Rooda and I need would have gotten together."

"But the death of your mother and the baby," Rulus looked to me.

"And all of Randin was laid to waste and destroyed." Rakine spoke up. "Remember?"

I nodded.

"If I had stayed there, and denied your offer to learn the ways of the Force, Sot-Kolok and the Empire would have come and completely razed the village anyway. But they also would've killed me and Rooda."

"But he can't now. Because Darth Venison killed him, remember?" Rakine rubbed my shoulder to try to help.

"Even if I stood a chance against him as a Sith Lord, deep down, I'm still Eyt. I'm still just the young stag you met on Zant. I look nothing like a Zan-Deer now, I'm half machine!" I stared at my cybernetic hands and my left arm up to the shoulder. I felt my antler-sabers and opened my Sith outift, revealing the metal plate around my abdomen. "But I'm still the one who brought dishonor to Randin before it got destroyed. I only take a different form."

Rulus looked down to the floor.

"Don't say that." Rakine shook his head. "You say you dishonored Randin, but now you're honoring the Rebel Alliance, the Old Republic. Doesn't that mean anything?"

Rulus looked back to me.

"It does. But the Zan-Deer were my family."

Rakine sighed and nodded.

"I know."

Rulus stood up.

"We are all very sorry about your loss, Lord Venison. But are you wondering where your dear deer, Rooda is?"

I nodded as I stood up, Rakine standing up next to me.

"She went into one of the living quarters. I think she's waiting for you."

I nodded and turned to the door.

"Thank you, Rulus." As I left the council chamber, Rakine started to talk to her about the successful Battle of Kommaden.

"The battle was a success. The Empire has been stopped, and now, they won't ever be able to invade the Wild Space."

"Wonderful. Thank you both for protecting my people."

I looked back in the council chamber.

"Rakine was the real hero," I grinned. "Vader threw me like a ragdoll while you tore his armor apart."

"Can't argue with that," Rakine rubbed the back of his head.

"We must go tell Mon Mothma and the Rebel Alliance will celebrate this victory." Rulus and Rakine walked out of the council chamber to the hangar, being joined by Captain Antilles as he jumps out of a Kommaden Starfighter.

"The Empire- they're done. For now," he took off his rebel helmet and wiped the sweat from his forehead. "The Battle of Kommaden was a success. But we need to gather the Alliance." He pulled the communicator from his belt. "And this is a very important reason why we are fighting against them. Back on Kommaden, I recorded something that I think will be a great message to the people of the galaxy."

I nodded to Antilles.

"Gather everyone. That must be shown to everyone. If we use that message you recorded and even that doesn't help push people to fighting against the Empire, then ai don't know what will."

"Yes, Lord Venison." He nodded.

I turned down the hall to the living quarters and began my search for Rooda.

"Rooda?" I called down the hall and hoped for an answer. One of the doors slowly opened and Rooda came out.

"You're back." She smiled.

I walked over to her and she held her hands out to me. I held both of them in my metal hands and grinned.

"I have good news. The battle was a victory for the Rebel Alliance. The Empire will be completely unable to invade the galactic west."

She looked at me surprised.

"The galactic west is safe?"

I nodded.

"That means Zant won't be harmed anymore." She smiled.

"That's right."

"And Ikana-"

"It's all safe Roo. Now we can go back home to Ikana where nothing can possibly hurt us."

She smiled and pecked my cheek with her lips.

"The people on Kommaden, are they safe?" She asked me.

"They're all okay. They're tough enough to defend the whole galactic west with the army they have."

"That's wonderful, Eyt."

"It truly is."

Antilles walked into the council chamber with the rebels following, Rakine, Rulus, and Mon Mothma walking in after them. I walked toward the entrance and saw Antilles play the holographic recording on the large projector in the chamber. I hear my voice echo through the room.

"You knew my family and my Zan-Deer friends were important to me. Everyone that lived in that village I had a connection to. Even mum."

The rebels start to talk to each other and murmur about the recording.

"My mother was the only person in that village I truly looked up to, after my father died." The recording went on and I saw my own image as it yelled at Vader back in the town square. I felt my anger and sadness slowly rise inside me. Then the image started yelling loudly at Vader, tears rained from my holographic cheeks.

"I've tried so many times, spent so much time in my younger life, trying to impress my family, trying to prove I can do things right. And when I turned my back to them just once, you had killed them all, everyone I had left! You think the First Galactic Empire is so great and powerful, that it was meant to rule the galaxy. Yet you mercilessly end millions of innocent lives like we're worthless animals. Animals! My own mother was pregnant with a fawn when your army had gunned her down!"

The rebels started shouting angrily at the holographic image of Darth Vader, and they all started booing. Captain Antilles stopped the recording.

"Everyone please don't fight the screen. It's just a holographic recording." He tried to stop the commotion.

"But was it true what you said to him?" Knuks, the boy pilot turned to me. "Was our mother pregnant when she was killed?"

I nodded slowly.

"She was."

The rebels shouted again and Rakine rolled his eyes before pulling out his pistol and firing three blaster bolts in the ceiling. The council chamber went silent.

"Will you all shut it?!"

Antilles nodded to Rakine.

"Thank you, Captain Cerivian. Now I'm going to play the rest of this, and see how your reaction goes for the rest of it. Okay?" He smiled weakly and played the rest of the recording. My image began screaming at Vader, tears still falling from my eyes.

"You hear me, you ruthless, Imperial hunk of metal?! She wa-"

Vader's image began Force choking mine and the rebels continued shouting angrily. I watched as Vader picked me up by my neck, choking me, and the holographic recording stopped before Vader began yelling back at me.

"Now you see what the Empire has done to innocent people." I walked into the council chamber and looked at the angered rebels. "They killed all I had left in my family. My father had already died, and so the Empire killed all my family I had left. A pregnant mother, and a younger sibling I never got to meet." I sighed. "Not just my family, but my whole village too. They left not one survivor!"

The rebels began shouting again and I held one of my metal hands up, silencing them.

"But we can stop the Empire before they do this to every other innocent person in this galaxy. We have possibly just saved countless of lives in the Wild Space in the galactic west, but if we keep fighting, we can stop them entirely. Right now the Empire is weak, they can't perform any acts of evil for-" I looked to Rakine in the back and he nodded, "-for a long time at least. The Empire has suffered greatly. Hundreds, maybe thousands of Imperial soldiers died in that fight. And even Darth Vader is in critical condition. It should be at least years before they can attack us again. And right now, we have them on their knees. We're winning the battle against the Empire already!"

The rebels shouted happily.

"If we keep this up, we can stand up to them, destroy the Empire, and bring true peace to the galaxy." I stop and look at Rooda, she leaned against the council chamber doorway, smiling at me, with a hoofed hand over her heart.

"What Ven here is saying-" Rakine Force jumps over the rebels who are seated and lands next to me, "-we won a great battle defending Kommaden. This is a turning point in the war. We are winning."

Rulus Knil-Wean nodded.

"And tonight," Rakine glanced at every Rebel seated, "let us celebrate out victory at Kommaden. Let us shake these walls and tremble these halls! Let us know here that we have won and as that Empire is slowly recovering, we will let THEM know, that we are the Rebel Alliance!" He held his fists in the air as he yelled motivating words to the Alliance. "And we are not afraid! We are not weak! We are strong knights of the Old Republic! Peace will be brought to the galaxy, one day." He spoke calmly again, "but for now, let's just celebrate our victory." He smiled to the crowd as they got up shouting happily, high-fiving each other and laughing. I walked out of the crowded council chamber and looked at Rooda, she smiled at me.

"You're a very motivational speaker, Eyt."

"Not me. Rakine is." I point at Rakine behind me as he's being carried in the air by the rebels, like he's at some big party.

"Maybe," she chuckled. "But I have been thinking. Since you brought me here, because you didn't want to leave me alone on Ikana."

"That's right."

"But now Ikana is safe from all harm, and we can go back home. We can finish our home in the canyon." She smiled. "You still remember that, right?"

"Of course I do, Roo. But I have to make sure if we're allowed to leave."

"Of course you can go, Lord Venison." Mon Mothma came out of the council chamber behind me. "You helped make the greatest Rebel cause yet a success. If it weren't for you and Rakine, the Battle of Kommaden would have been a tragic loss. I think you deserve this. Go to Ikana with Rooda, and go pursue your personal dreams. We will let you know when we need you."

"Thank you Mon Mothma." I now my head to her and Rooda and I walk down the hall to the hangar, where the _Zant's Nightmare_ waits for us.

"So we go back to Ikana to finish our home, where we will be safe from the Empire?" She turned to me and the _Nightmare's_ doors opened in front of us.

"Yes, we have time to ourselves now." I sat in the pilot's seat and Rooda sat next to me. "We can finally finish what we've started on Ikana."

The _Nightmare_ picked up off the ground and flew out of the hangar, up into the skies of Yavin. I activate the ship's antler-like sails and the ship accelerates through the atmosphere as I activate a holographic map of the galaxy. I tap the tiny Ikana system, the furthest system westward, at the end of one of the galaxy's spirals, and the ship entered auto-pilot toward the Ikana system. I lay back in the pilot seat and looked down at my Sith outfit, remembering Lord Sorin, the Sith Lord who truly attacked me, cut off my antlers and tricked me into joining the Dark Side. It was him who got me this far and made me a killing machine. And I hate him for it.

"Something wrong?" Rooda turned to me.

"Well, I started wearing this when I became Sorin's apprentice, when he fooled me into being his puppet. He tricked me into becoming what I am now, and this outfit always reminds me of him. How he made me a Sith Lord." I glared at the ribcage design on my long-sleeve tunic. "Now it just doesn't suit me anymore. I have to take it off."

"You're getting rid of the outfit are you?"

"Not all of it. Just this stupid tunic. It reminds me too much of him."

I took the cloak and threw it behind my head and watched as it sank to the floor behind me. I took my belt off and set it on my lap, and I grabbed my tunic to take it off. I threw my tunic to the floor and I put my belt around my waist again, feeling the metal plate around my abdomen. I took a long look at my natural body, rubbing my chest and the black, fur covered skin on my right forearm, where the black dye stopped at my elbow. I looked at my cybernetic right hand rubbed the fur on my arm, up to my shoulder.

"I haven't seen my own body in so long-"

"You miss your old self, don't you?" She chuckled as I felt my arm, the tan fur that covered most of my body.

"I've changed a lot, have I?" I turned to her.

"You have. But you haven't forgotten who you really were, right?"

I shook my head.

"I never forgot. I still remember my past."

"You know what I think? I think you're now an upgraded version of our old self. You remember everything, but you've changed so much in such a short amount of time."

I shrugged.

"But the pain I've caused still stays with me. Look at me Rooda. I'm still a Zan-Deer, no denying it. But I've done so many things that completely changed our lives. Even my own impulses to fight have changed my appearance. Look at my wrist-" I raised my right hand, "-my arm and shoulder-" I lifted my left hand. My eyes trailed from my hand to my left shoulder, where the cybernetics stop. "My stomach," I tapped the metal plate that covers my lower body and the metal antler-sabers on my head. "My antlers too. Replaced with sabers. I'm half machine now."

"Take it easy. Just scars from your battles, I think." Rooda took my wrist and sat me back down. "I think you look just fine."

"But I still feel like everything is all my fault."

"Stop dwelling on the past and blaming yourself. You're not the proud, strong Eyt I remember on Zant. Now you need to stop worrying so much."

I sighed and rubbed my bare chest with my metal fingers.

"You're right."

I took the ship off auto-pilot as it neared the Ikana system. The ship's sails deactivate as we near the atmosphere and the ship flies down to the Ikana Canyon and lands down on the canyon's floor. The doors opened and I picked up the bits from my Sith outfit I left on the floor. Rooda walked out onto the sand and I felt the soft sand under my bare, hoofed feet. I looked at Rooda and she sighed happily as she ran to the door of the cave, opening it and finding the cave just the way we left it. I walked in and headed toward the stone table, setting my cloak on the table top, still holding the Sorin's tunic, and resting my boots on the cave floor. I looked around at the empty cave and notice Rooda looking at me, a smile growing on her face.

"What is it?" I asked her and she walked to one of the chairs at the table, pulling it out and picking up her loincloth outfit in her left hand, and my loincloth in her right hand.

"I saved these old cloths. I couldn't leave them behind because they remind me too much of our village back on Zant. I still want to remember what life was like before everything changed."

I walked to her and took my loincloth from her hand and held it by the straps that used to wrap around my waist. I stared at the leathery cloth and grinned.

"I still remember too." I lowered the old loincloth. "We should never forget what life was like back then, even if everything has changed and now-" I stopped and thought about how everyone else in the village was killed when we were gone. Rooda and I are the only living members of the village.

"Now-" she stopped and looked at me confused, "-what?"

"Nothing," I set the loincloth on the table. "Just- thank you for remembering to bring these loincloths back. They will serve as a way to remember. These could be a memorial for all the Zan-Deer that died in the village, a way to remember the ones we connected to in the past, a reminder of what the Empire has done to us."

I felt a bitter sadness rise in me and Rooda too began to grieve over the loss of the innocent lives that ended in the Randin. Now a ghost town, destroyed and erased from the surface of the desert, it will always have a place in our hearts. From the canyon of Kakariko, to the buttes of the high desert, we still knew the village that stood tall, and the people who lived in it. The chief, Tzano, who I regretfully murdered in my own anger, my father who taught me how to fight for the village, my mother who stayed in the house caring for herself and her unborn fawn, the villagers who greeted us every time we walked past them with a smile on theirs faces, and the fawns that liked to frolic in the streets, running and laughing, pretending they were warriors too.

Rooda and I were caught in a wave of grief as we mourned over our whole village and it's people. I watched as she picked up her two pieces of clothing and walked outside the cave to an old dead tree next to the river that runs through the canyon, and she sat under its crooked branches. She held her loincloths tightly in her hands and started to cry, and I walked out and stood behind her, resting one of my metal hands over her shoulder. I felt tears began forming in my eyes and I watch them drop down my cheeks, as I mourned over the loss of Randin. I sat next to Rooda and she looked to me, hugging the side of my body, her tears dripped down onto my arm. Both weeping silently, we stayed under the tree with our heads lowered. I looked down at Sorin's tunic and I laid it on the ground in front of the tree, pulled my darksaber from my belt, ignited it, and slowly held the blade against the tunic. A small fire started on it and Rooda and I stepped back, watching the tunic set ablaze, burning in front of us. I feel my sins from my past burning inside me as the tunic's flames grow. I stare angrily at it and I slowly start to think more of how Sorin's influence got me to kill Chief Tzano.

"Forgive me, Chief," I whisper to myself as the flames of Sorin's tunic dies down. The fire stops and the cloth has burnt down to ashes. I blow the last flame out and scoop up the ashes of the tunic in my cybernetic hands. I screamed angrily and threw the ashes out of my hand and watched as the singed tunic's remains sprinkle down into the river, and are carried away by the current. I fall to my knees and hold my head in my metal hands. Rooda looks at me.

"Are you okay?"

"I feel- better. As if burning up Sorin's tunic got rid of most of my troubles. Like Sorin's grip on me had finally been released, even after his death on Hoth."

"How is that possible?"

"I don't know," I shook my head confused and I stood up, looking at her. "It just felt weird."

We stared at each other in confusion and Rooda rubbed her right forearm before asking me.

"You want to go inside?" She stood up and put a hand on my metallic left shoulder. "We can work on the cave if you want. Would that help you take these things off your mind?"

I nodded weakly and she held my hand as we walked inside. I closed the door behind me.


	33. Epilogue

It's been a while since we have heard from the Rebel Alliance about the Empire's intentions. The Empire has been quiet, never exposing any plans to try to stop the rebellion. After winning the Battle of Kommaden we fear we have woken a sleeping giant. We suspect that the Empire continues its plans of galactic domination, but meanwhile, the Kommadenians are forever thankful for us saving their system and by showing their thanks, they have provided weapons for the Rebel Alliance. Rakine, the Captain of the Alliance Starfighter Corps, has continued to lead many missions through the galaxy, in hopes of turning the systems against the Empire.

But on Ikana, Rooda and I are doing great, our cave house has been finished. We never expanded it in interior size but we have decorated it in our very own primitive style, as an homage to our life back on Zant. The cave is a wonderful sanctuary for us to hide from the First Galactic Empire. A memorial has been built out by the river of the canyon, as a way to remember, to commemorate the loss of our entire village, Randin. Rooda and I both have a greater feeling of safety alone together on Ikana, in the farthest corner of the Wild Space, where no harm would ever find us here.

* * *

(Hey everyone, Yoshi here. If you read this then you must have, or should have, read through my entire story about Eyt and how he made a lot of difficult choices, becoming the mighty and not so evil Sith Lord Darth Venison, killing another Sith Lord, the cowardly puppeteer Sorin, joining the Rebel Alliance, leading missions against the Empire, and even starting a relationship with his longtime friend Rooda. But will everything he's done have a positive effect on the later future? The story mainly was to focus on said choices and sometimes how even the "smallest" can have the largest effects. Ven tries his best to keep the ones he loved safe, but he miserably failed to protect Randin. And despite being a Sith Lord, he really isn't a bad guy. He made many friends, like Rakine, Karus, Mon Mothma, and even a majority of the Rebel Alliance, but he made many great enemies, including Darth Sidious, the entire First Galactic Empire, and the famous Sith Lord Darth Vader.)

(I know what you must be thinking; "is the story really over"? Or "this ending sucks so bad". And to that I say yes, it's over for now, or yes, I suck badly at endings, I know these things. This was mostly an entire segment on how he started out, just becoming a Sith rebel and later to start many other missions, both with the Rebel Alliance against the Empire, and with Rooda back home on the canyon planet, Ikana. In the title, it was also stated that this was the "rise" of Darth Venison. So yeah, even though this story kinda ended suddenly, and it's super anticlimactic and probably an ending worse than cliché horror movies. I tried to add a good final battle with Darth Vader, don't know how that went. Personally, I think this part ended very well. But I will continue his story nonetheless, in possibly a sequel story, about the "path" of Darth Venison, where the story continues to unfold.)

(All in all, I just want to thank you all for reading through it or at least acknowledging that I had a lot of fun making this story, and hopefully you enjoyed it as well. But I'm keeping my head up for upcoming things in the near future, and I'm hoping that reading this was at least enjoyable. If anyone does have any comments or questions on the story, feel free to comment and I will try to answer as many comments or questions as I can. That's about it, hopefully you all enjoyed it, feel free to follow/favorite, all that stuff, and I'll talk to you all later.)


	34. Bonus Content

(After ending the first part of the story, I thought of how in the story I tried to describe the characters in an accurate manner for any future references, if needed. So I came up with the idea up this segment, or bonus content, giving good information about the main characters that I have created. I also made a list of references to other things in the story that exist elsewhere. So this is basically a list of references used in the story, and even information on the main original characters used in the story. I hope you enjoy.)

* * *

 **References Used**

* * *

Sot-Kolok's body, large humanoid with six arms, and combat style, wielding six swords, is strongly based on Koloktos from _The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword._

The Zant system is named after a character named Zant, the secondary antagonist in _The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess._

The Ikana system is named after Ikana Valley in _The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask._

(Basically I was a Zelda nerd when I started writing the story. XD)

Also, "Boom. Butterfly Effect," is a quote from the game _Until Dawn_.

(Copyright owners, don't sue me please.)

* * *

 **Character Information**

* * *

 _Eyt / Darth Venison_

Real Name: Eyt Pezymn, also known as Lord Venison, Ven (nickname), and Venny (nickname).

Species: Zan-Deer, a fictional species of carnivorous deer-like creatures native to the Zant system. They resemble anthropomorphic deer, with brown and tan fur, three-fingered, hoof-like hands and two-toed, hoof-like feet at the end of digitigrade legs.

Appearance: A thin, slender, Zan-Deer stag, with tan fur and an anthropomorphic deer-like body, with a slightly muscular build. He has black dye permanently coating his forearms (between wrist and elbow), lower legs (between knee and ankle), hips and back. He has long, spiked antlers, resembling spider legs, and wears a loincloth around his waist, covering his front. (Former)

A thin, slender Zan-Deer stag, with tan fur covering most of body, only head and neck fur is visible. On his face he used black dye to design his face, covering his eyelids and making the area around his eyes black, making two black circles over his eyes. And two sharp black lines run down his face from his eyes to his nose. He now wears a Sith outfit from Lord Sorin, a black long-sleeved tunic with a ribcage resembling design on the chest, a dark black belt with a copper buckle, the belt used to hold his weapons and communicator. He also wears long black pants, black combat boots, and a large dark black cloak in which the cape covers his whole body if he stands straight up. His natural antlers are completely gone and replaced with cybernetic antlers surgically drilled into the back of his head, a large metal wedge sticks out of his head, behind his ear from the back to the top of his head. The wedge sticks out and ends with four lightsaber ends, which reveal to be antler-sabers (a first set from Sorin, a big, silver, easily destructible pair with red lightsaber blades). He now has a cybernetic left arm up to his shoulder, and a cybernetic right hand, ending at his wrist. The cybernetic limbs are clearly metallic and virtually indestructible now, and his robotic hands end in three fingers resembling claws. He has a large metal plate covering his back and stomach, wrapped around his waist, protecting where he was once stabbed with a lightsaber blade. (First Form).

A thin, slender Zan-Deer stag, with tan fur covering most of his body, with exceptions of black dyed fur on his right forearm and back. His lack of upper clothing clearly show his muscular upper body and a large metal plate covering his back and stomach, wrapped around his waist, protecting where he was once stabbed with a lightsaber blade. He now wears what's left of the Sith outfit from Sorin, which consists of long black pants, a dark brown belt with a copper buckle, the belt used to hold his weapon and communicator, black combat boots, but he no longer wears the large dark black cloak because he gave it to Rooda, or the tunic because he burnt it. He has cybernetic antlers surgically drilled into the back of his head, a large metal wedge sticks out of his head, behind his ear from the back to the top of his head. The wedge sticks out and ends with four lightsaber ends, which reveal to be antler-sabers. His current pair is an upgraded set from Karus, a bigger, darker, indestructible pair with long, black lightsaber blades. All other features, like face paint and cybernetic limbs, remain the same since. (Current Form).

Born: 31 years Before Battle of Yavin (Zant)

Home: Zant (Formerly), Yavin 4 (Formerly), Ikana (Currently)

Age: 19

Personality: As Eyt, back on Zant, he was quiet and arrogant, most notably being stubborn. He was a very good fighter and he wanted to make it very clear to anyone who challenges him. He is a violent character and is easily angered as shown when he is ever in a lightsaber battle with someone, or when he was downright furious for getting his antlers chopped off his head and losing his position and the village's "honor". He even went back to steal his honor and kill the chief.

He is sometimes obedient to whoever he speaks to, taking orders from the chief (formerly), and Rakine and Mon Mothma.

At first he was just like the people of his village, primitive with little to no knowledge of the outside world. Then Rakine came and completely changed his life from the boring life on Zant, to becoming a mighty warrior in the Jedi arts and the Force. He is incredibly loyal to Rakine for showing him everything outside the Zant system and teaching him everything he knows now, whether in the Force, in combat, or just knowledge of the galaxy and its recent history. He is an incredibly fast learner, figuring out how the outside world truly is, and learning the ways of the Force and how to be agile and successful in lightsaber combat in only mere minutes. He even learned to take out a Sith Lord and the best Inquisitor, Sot-Kolok, in only a few days to about a week worth of training. He learned how to pilot his own ship, the _Zant's Nightmare_ , in a matter of seconds and since then, he's been sailing the galaxy in back to back trips between systems. He knows of the evil of the Empire and has witnessed who the true enemy is, when his village was razed by the Empire.

Weapons: A darksaber with a dark gray hilt, with a long, black emitter end and a short black pommel end. The blade is long and black, leaving a white outline around it. Instead of being flat like Pre Vizsla's darksaber, this one is cylindrical and pointed like a regular blade. (Current.)

A pair of artificial cybernetic antlers that replaced his natural ones. The main section of it has a large silver wedge with four silver identical lightsaber hilts with black emitters. The blades were crimson. (Former.)

A second pair of antler-sabers to replace his original pair after they got destroyed. This was a gift from Karus and the Rebel Alliance. The wedge is the same, only instead of silver, it's black. The four identical lightsabers on each wedge were dark gray, with black emitters. and slightly longer than Sorin's set. The blades are longer than the crimson blades and are all black, to match his darksaber. The antler-sabers have a small system which allows it to detect another blade and repel it, causing no damage to the antler-sabers itself. They cannot break. (Current.)

Two dueling curved-hilt lightsabers from Lord Sorin, both identical and could attach on the pommel ends, creating a saberstaff. The lightsabers are silver with black emitters and pommels and the long blades are a crimson color. (Temporary.)

A long lightsaber with a curved black pommel end, black hilt, and silver emitter. The lightwhip of Sot-Kolok the Inquisitor ignites a very long, flexible red whip-like blade. Since the plasmic blade is flexible, Sot-Kolok's lightwhip was unusually unstable, that his weapon was not extremely reliable in battle. Damaging yes, but don't use it too much. (Temporary).

Allies: Rooda and Rebel Alliance

Enemies: Darth Sorin (deceased), Sot-Solok (deceased), Darth Vader, Darth Sidious, First Galactic Empire

Goals: Protect Randin Village from danger (Failed), To destroy the Empire, To show not all the Sith are evil, Live alone with Rooda on Ikana.

Trivia: Eyt is left-handed, as mentioned in many scenes where he is holding his darksaber mostly in his left hand.

* * *

 _Rooda_

Full Name: Rooda Khunelle, also known as Roo (for short, nickname).

Species: Zan-Deer, a fictional species of carnivorous deer-like creatures native to the Zant system. They resemble anthropomorphic deer, with brown and tan fur, three-fingered, hoof-like hands and two-toed, hoof-like feet at the end of digitigrade legs.

Appearance: A slender, young, Zan-Deer doe, with an anthropomorphic, deer-like body, and a feminine build. She has black dye permanently coating her forearms (between wrist and elbow), and lower legs (between knee and ankle). She has no antlers and wears a loincloth outfit that resembles a female bikini. (Former.)

Her physical body remains the same but instead of her bikini outfit, she now has a black, one-piece outfit that covers her entire body, except her limbs, only covering her torso and abdomen. She made a makeshift belt out of cloth and rope that wraps around her waist and carries her weapons and communicator. (Current).

Born: 31 years Before Battle of Yavin (Zant)

Home: Zant (Formerly), Yavin 4 (Formerly), Ikana (Currently)

Age: 19

Personality: On Zant she was a quiet and feared Zan-Deer Warrior, and since women never got the position, she has proven to get it by being the most viscous, the most ruthless, and the best female figure of the village, and at a very young age at nineteen years. She was very respected and often spoke in a quiet monotonous voice on Zant. She was very loyal to the chief, as seen when she returns Eyt home after he was injured, not knowing he would lose his position, and when she struggles to abandon the old traditional ways of the village. But after meeting Rakine and leaving Zant, she begins to open up and she reveals that she was a bright and sweet girl, full of personality. It is revealed that she has had some romantic feelings for Eyt for a long time, and he did for her, but they couldn't show any emotions because it showed weakness. She has been seen kissing Eyt a few times throughout the story. She was seen to be very emotional when he left on dangerous missions, she always worried or wept thinking she would never see him alive again. She is very loyal and respectful to Eyt and Rakine and takes any orders they have, whether to stay put or to stay out of a battle to keep herself safe. She is a very skilled fighter when she fought with a lightsaber pike resembling spear, with two ends. She has received a pair of dueling lightsabers which can connect into a saberstaff, but is barely seen using them in combat. She knows how to pilot a ship as seen when she took Eyt's unconscious body back to Zant after he got injured on Coruscant. She has little knowledge of the Force and has had little to no training, but she respects the Force for its power and how strong Eyt and Rakine are in the Force. She is a very emotional character as she cries when the village was destroyed and every time Eyt left to join the dangers of battle. She even wept when Eyt lost his job on Zant, and at the dead tree outside the cave on Ikana, to serve as a memorial for the loss of the Zan-Deer back on Zant. She may be the character that has cried the most in the story.

Weapons: A spear resembling lightsaber, much like a lightsaber pike, with a long black hilt and two short light blue blades, one on each side, like an extended saberstaff. (Current).

Two dueling curved-hilt lightsabers from Lord Sorin, both identical and could attach on the pommel ends, creating a saberstaff. The lightsabers are silver with black emitters and pommels and the long blades are a crimson color. (Current).

Allies: Eyt and Rebel Alliance

Enemies: Darth Vader, First Galactic Empire

Goals: Protect Randin Village from danger (Failed), To live alone with Eyt on Ikana.

Trivia: She loves both the climates of hot and sandy deserts and the mountainous, snowy regions. When she was young she lived alone in the mountains of Zant living on her instincts and tauntauns, growing a love for snow and tauntaun's meat. She likes the deserts because of the soft, warm sand and the meat from the desert spiders that roam Zant.

* * *

 _Rakine_

Full Name: Rakine Cerivian

Species: Human

Appearance: A thin human with medium length, combed back, black hair and a long scar running from his right eyebrow, down his face and neck to his collarbone. He has an average sized head and no facial hair. His eyes are usually green but will occasionally turn "Dark Side" when he is angered. His body has a thin, muscular build. He wears a leaf green jacket with the sleeves tucked up to his elbows. The jacket has big pockets on the inside to hold his blaster. He wore a white holy V-neck t-shirt under his jacket, a brown strap over his right shoulder and around his waist, and gray jeans with a black belt, where his communicator and lightsaber attached to. The jeans' legs are tucked in at the bottom, into large black, knee-high boots. Sometimes he wears Karus' old rebel pilot helmet after Karus died. (Current.)

Born: 38 years Before Battle of Yavin (Mandalore)

Home: Mandalore (Formerly), Coruscant (Formerly), Yavin 4 (Currently)

Age: 26

Personality: A strong rebel fighter, Rakine is very skilled in the Force, being greatly trained both in the Light and Dark Sides, and in combat when he fought against the mighty Inquisitor Sot-Kolok numerous times in the past. He claims to walk a "Grey Path" on the middle ground, and says to intervene only when it's necessary, but mostly while working in the Rebel Alliance. He may be loyal to the Alliance and to the Zan-Deer, but he is sometimes seen as humorous, making some remarks about Eyt and Rooda's relationship, even stating he predicted it from the start. He is sometimes seen as the badass of the group by fighting Sot-Kolok numerous times and even earning a scar in his face from one infamous battle, and even in the scene where he smashes through the windshield of his ship and jumps out as it crashes to the ground. He is witty and clever, knowing how to command a rebel fleet. When he focuses on the Dark Side in combat, he can even be unnaturally cruel and sadistic, as seen by electrocuting Eyt many times in or at the Jedi Temple on Coruscant, and slicing off Eyt's antlers, though this was under Lord Sorin's control. He can still be sadistic after Sorin's death, when he knew the lightwhip was unstable, he jumped back and threw it at Darth Vader as it exploded. His cruel and sadistic nature is from a mental rupture created by his abusive master of the Sith, Lord Sorin, when he tried to learn the Dark Side to focus on the full Force and all its aspects. But he even shows signs of friendliness, by apologizing to Eyt for everything that happened to him from events caused by himself. He'a also very sympathetic when he learns of the death of Eyt's whole family and the Zan-Deer of the village, Randin. Because of this, it is unknown if he lost someone important to him in the past.

Weapons: For being trained in both Light and Dark Sides, he is a very skilled swordsman. He uses a traditional lightsaber, with a sliver hilt and long gray emitter. It has a long red blade. (Current).

A custom blaster he made shortly before joining the Rebel Alliance. It resembles a typical blaster, with red highlights added to it. (Current).

A long lightsaber with a curved black pommel end, black hilt, and silver emitter. The lightwhip of Sot-Kolok the Inquisitor ignites a very long, flexible red whip-like blade. Since the plasmic blade is flexible, Sot-Kolok's lightwhip was so unusually unstable, that his weapon was not extremely reliable in battle. Damaging yes, but too much use caused it to explode. (Temporary).

Allies: Eyt, Rooda, and the Rebel Alliance

Enemies: Darth Vader, Darth Sorin (deceased), Sot-Kolok (longtime rival, deceased), First Galactic Empire

Goals: Teach Eyt the ways of the Force (somewhat Succeeded), destroy Darth Sorin (Succeeded), show the connection between Jedi and Sith and show how similar they are, and bring peace to the galaxy and destroy the Empire.

Trivia: In an earlier point in the story, Rakine implied to have gotten the long scar on his face from his overly abusive Sith master Sorin, but it's most likely that he got it from a battle with Sot-Kolok. It isn't confirmed where he truly got the scar. His memory could've simply been corrupted by his abusive master, thus giving him a partial memory loss.

* * *

 _Sorin_

Full Name: Sorin Karraticus

Species: Human

Appearance: a tall elderly Sith Lord, with green eyes, a strong jaw, a wrinkled face, white hair growing on his temples just above his ears and as a white goatee on his chin. He wears a large Sith robe to cover his body which is protected by almost indestructible Mandalorian body armor dyed completely black.

Born: 88 years Before Battle of Yavin (Naboo)

Died: 12 years Before Battle of Yavin (Hoth)

Home: Naboo (Formerly), Hoth (Formerly)

Age: 76

Personality: A sadistic and cruel man, Sorin was one of the nastiest and secretive Sith Lords to have existed. He had remained friends with Darth Plagueuis, another Sith Lord, until Darth Sidious killed him. In fear of his own life Sorin fled to Hoth to an old cave where he lived since. He's known for being mischievous, secretive, and controlling, using both Eyt Pezymn and Rakine Cerivian as living puppets to carry out his tasks while he stayed on Hoth. He has managed to grow a friendly side, offering to save Eyt from the harsh climate of Hoth and to warmly take him as an apprentice. He even mentions how aggressive and abusive he was to his past apprentice (Rakine) by using excessive Force lightning to temporarily rupture the Dark Side as he tried to use it, using that as his reasons to try and be a nicer and more gentle person, which ultimately fails. He is very deceptive as he lies a lot.

Weapons: Two dueling curved-hilt lightsabers, both identical and could attach on the pommel ends, creating a saberstaff. The lightsabers are silver with black emitters and pommels and the long blades are a crimson color. (Formerly).

The Force was used multiple times in multiple ways against both Eyt and Rakine on Hoth, whether it's Force lightning or his power to possess a living vessel.

Enemies: First Galactic Empire, Darth Venison, Rakine Cerivian

Goals: Escape the Empire after Lord Sidious killed his friend Lord Plagueis (Succeeded), To train Rakine and Eyt as apprentices and personal assassins to fight for him without him being in risk of danger (Close, but failed)

Trivia: He was known as a "Cowardly Sith" and said it was for running from a Jedi or never fighting or confronting. This could all easily be a lie used to cover up the fact that he lets his "Force puppets" to carry out his tasks and acts.

* * *

 _Sot-Kolok_

Full Name: Sot-Kolok (pronounced "Soht-Kah-loke") Taxiinhiligaar Alqa'Jur Eqsiutriige

Species: Unknown

Appearance: A tall and pale being, Sot-Kolok wasn't a human creature. He had a large and thin body structure, with incredibly thick skin and long limbs. He had six large arms which he used to fight while wielding multiple lightsabers at once, making him a greater threat. He had a long body with a bulky torso, with pale white skin covering his body. He had long and crooked teeth. As an Inquisitor, he wore a unique Imperial uniform, with six sleeves covering his arms, and a pair of armor underneath. He was covered in lightsabers which he used to fight Rakine and Venison on Kommaden.

Born: 125 years Before Battle of Yavin

Died: 12 years Before Battle of Yavin (Kommaden)

Home: unknown

Age: 113

Personality: A cunning assassin and strategic fighter, Sot-Kolok was a cruel member of the Imperial Inquisition as one of it's best warriors. He has slain a great number of rebels and soldiers in the past. He has even fought against Rakine Cerivian many times in many encounters, one o which was likely a cause of Rakine's facial scar. He was also very ruthless and cocky, morbidly killing Karus by swiftly beheading him on Kommaden. Coupled with his skill in lightsaber combat, he was very Force-sensitive, being able to sense danger and use many unique and difficult techniques, including a power to briefly hover in the air and heal his body to perfectly to the point where no scar is left.

Weapons: Sot-Kolok was armed with many types of Imperial lightsabers, wielding two standard lightsabers, six greatsabers, four spinning saberstaffs, and about four lightships, all with red blades. One lightwhip is violently unstable.

Allies: First Galactic Empire

Enemies: Rakine, Darth Venison

Goals: To liberate the Kommaden system and help the Empire gain more galactic territory (Failed)

* * *

 _Karus_

Full Name: Karus Gorobon

Species: Human

Appearance: A tall brown haired human, with a thick beard grown on his face and long scraggly hair that dropped to his ears. He has a stubble mustache and his beard goes up to his sideburns. He wore a rebel fighter pilot outfit and a pilot helmet on his head. (Last Worn)

As a Jedi, he had a short beard and a short Padawan braid from his brown hair. He wore a tan Padawan outfit and a brown Jedi robe. (Former/ Force Ghost)

Born: 41 years Before Battle of Yavin (Coruscant)

Died: 12 years Before Battle of Yavin (Kommaden)

Home: Coruscant (Formerly), Yavin 4 (Formerly)

Age: 29

Personality: A former Jedi Padawan, Karus was weak in the Force when he was alive. He is bad with weapons, as seen by his lack of lightsaber training as a Jedi, and his failed attempt at assassinating Sot-Kolok on Kommaden. He never wanted to be a fighter with weapons, and always wanted to be a pilot. He is a wise man, knowing of the stronger powers of the Force from his old master, even knowing how to become a Force ghost to tell Venison and Rakine of the power of Levitation, one of the most difficult Force abilities, only Sorin and Sot-Kolok have had the strength to pull it off. He is loyal to the Rebel Alliance and served as Captain before his death and his best friend Rakine took his place.

Relationships: Eyt / Darth Venison (Fellow rebel and friend), Rakine (Fellow rebel and best friend)

Occupation: Jedi Padawan (Formerly), Rebel soldier (Formerly), Rebel Captain of the Alliance Starfighter Corps (Formerly).

Weapons: As a Jedi Padawan, he once had a lightsaber. It is unknown where it remains now or if he kept it, but it's blade was blue. (Formerly)

He had a blaster on his mission to the Star Destroyer overseeing the Death Star's construction and on the trip to Kommaden (Formerly).

Allies: Darth Venison and Rebel Alliance

Enemies: First Galactic Empire

Goals: Destroy the Empire and restore the Old Republic.

* * *

 _Rulus_

Full Name: Rulus Knil-Wean (pronounced "Roo-lus Kneel Wee-ahn")

Species: Kommadenian (A fictional race of intelligent beings native to Kommaden. They had long slender bodies with skin color ranging from blue to green. Their heads were diamond shaped and they had thin necks. Their hands had four long fingers and their feet ended in stubs. The average Kommadenian reached six feet in height when fully grown.

Appearance: A tall female Kommadenian Council Member, Rulus wore a dark red robe with white seams and decorative patterns on it. The robe covered her slender body down to her feet and stopped at her hands, revealing four long blue fingers. Her skin was light blue and her diamond-shaped head rested on her long, thin neck. Her head was mostly covered in a large white hood that attached to the back of her robe. She had bright yellow-orange eyes and a small mouth. She was one of the tallest characters in the story.

Born: 392 years Before Battle of Yavin (Kommaden)

Home: Kommaden (Formerly), Yavin 4 (Currently)

Age: 380 years

Personality: Rulus speaks in a quick and kind voice, to conserve her voice for when she needs to speak up in a council briefing. She is a kind and understanding character, feeling sympathy for Lord Venison when he tells her of his failure to save his family. She is a fighter only in politics, often debating whether certain moves will help save the galaxy from the Empire's oppression.

Allies: Kommaden system, Rebel Alliance

Enemies: First Galactic Empire

Goals: Protect Kommaden and the galaxy from the Empire.


End file.
